STRESS AND ALCOHOL USE IN A PANDEMIC

One business has been booming during this current pandemic. No, it’s not toilet paper. No, it’s not bottled water. Yes, it is alcohol consumption. Apparently, Americans are stocking up on alcohol. In Seattle, Chicago and Boston, sales of wine, beer and liquor have seen increases of up to 300 to 500 percent compared to sales in January. Also, the market research firm Nielsen reported off-premises sales of alcoholic beverages across the United States rose 55% in the week ending March 21. Sales increased the most for tequila, gin and premixed cocktails, followed by wine and then beer. So, in times of challenge and stress, it can be attractive to look to alcohol for stress reduction. Why does this happen?

People who feel stressed tend to drink more than people who are less stressed. Alcohol use increases when persons experience disasters of all kinds, e.g. natural disasters. Alcohol does result in a feeling of relaxation. However, after drinking you may feel more anxious. Why is that? This is because alcohol releases brain chemicals that block anxiety. However, our brain rebalances after drinking by reducing the chemicals and getting back to equilibrium, resulting in increased feelings of anxiety. So how does alcohol affect us?

As I’ve written about in past posts, our immune system is impacted negatively by stress. For far more detail about how stress impacts your health, please read our book (I Can’t Take It Anymore: How to Manage Stress so It Doesn’t Manage You; Paul G. Longobardi, Ph.D., and Janice B. Longobardi, R.N., B.S.N., P.H.N.), available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1542458056. For more information about the book, authors, and stress please visit our website at www.manageyourhealthandstress.com. For now, know that Coronavirus also compromises our immune system. Alcohol impacts the immune system, increasing the risk of illness and infections. We know from other virus outbreaks that drinking affects how your immune system works, making you more susceptible to virus infection. So, if you are concerned about the coronavirus, or are at risk of contracting it, you should limit your alcohol intake to give your immune system the best chance of fighting it off. The same applies if you have influenza or the common cold this winter.

What about alcohol and your mood? Drinking can affect your mood, making you prone to symptoms of depression and anxiety. This is because alcohol has a depressant effect on your central nervous system. What about sleep? We know that getting restful sleep assists in stress reduction. However, alcohol can disrupt your sleep. You may fall asleep more quickly from the sedating effects of alcohol. When your body processes alcohol, the sedative effects wear off. You might wake up through the night and find it hard to fall back to sleep. The next day, you can be left feeling increasingly anxious, which can start the process again.

Alcohol reduces the capacity of our brain to monitor and regulate our thoughts and feelings. We can make poor judgments, our inhibitions are reduced. Over time, you can develop a higher tolerance to alcohol leading to the need to drink more alcohol for the same effect. Developing tolerance to alcohol can contribute to the development of alcohol dependence.

How can you manage your alcohol use in this time of pandemic? First, monitor your drinking. American guidelines point to no more than one drink for women and two for men per night. I found the Australian guidelines make sense. This includes having no more than four standard drinks in any one day and no more than ten a week.

As always, the question is how you can manage the stresses of the pandemic without excessive use of alcohol? Consider doing mindfulness meditation or slow your breathing. You can distract yourself with something enjoyable. Try practicing starting your day thinking of three things for which you are grateful. As I’ve noted on many occasions, get as much exercise as you can. Exercise releases brain chemicals that make you feel good. We need exercise even more in times when we are more isolated and staying at home more often. Even if you can’t do your normal exercise routine because the fitness center is closed, go outside for a walk or run (maintaining social distancing and masks as needed). Maintain a good diet. We know good nutrition is important to maintain good mental health. Try to get as much sleep as you can. Worry can disrupt sleep and lack of sleep can worsen mental health. Build in pleasant activities to your day. If you can’t do the normal activities you find enjoyable, seek out something new you can do or try and schedule one each day. It’s good for your brain too as new activities activate brain reward systems.

Change can be disruptive but, as with most things, your mindset determines your reaction. The good part is that you can change what you think. So go ahead and enjoy a drink. However, find ways to deal with the stresses in your life.

Good luck on your journey.

Dr. Paul Longobardi

For information on these and related topics, please see my website at www.successandmindset.com

HOW ARE BATS, YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM, STRESS, AND CORONAVIRUS RELATED?

No, I did not make a mistake in the title. No, the title is not a trick question. As many of you know, there is thought a connection between bats and the coronavirus which has spread across the planet. Less well understood is that connection. Yesterday, I was watching Fareed Zakaria’s show on CNN, Global Public Square. Among his guests was Dr. Peter Daszak, a British-American zoologist and an expert on disease ecology, in particular on zoonosis. Among other things, he pointed out that bats are the only mammal that can fly, allowing them to spread in large numbers from one community over a wide area. Thus, they can harbor many pathogens or diseases. Flying also requires a tremendous amount of activity for bats, which stresses their immune systems resulting in the systems becoming very specialized. As a student of stress and its management, I did not entirely understand that and so I did some additional investigation. I came across some work by Dr. Andrew Cunningham, Professor of Wildlife Epidemiology at the Zoological Society of London. Dr. Cunningham noted that when bats fly they have a peak body temperature that mimics a fever. He noted that this happens at least twice a day with bats -- when they fly out to feed and when they return to roost. He went on to explain that the pathogens that have evolved in bats have evolved to withstand these peaks of body temperature. So why is this a problem for us humans? Dr. Cunningham went on to observe that this poses a potential problem when these diseases cross into another species. In humans, for example, a fever is a defense mechanism designed to raise the body temperature to kill a virus. A virus that has evolved in a bat (think coronavirus for now) will probably not be affected by a higher body temperature. He went on from that point to discuss increased contact between humans and bats as well as improved travel which allows quicker spread of viruses across our globe. So if bats stress their immune system in their flying activities to the extent that the immune systems have evolved and specialized, what does that mean for us humans and our own immune systems?

We all have heard that among those at risk for being infected with coronavirus are people with compromised immune systems. It is well known that chronic stress responses in humans negatively affect our immune systems. In our book on stress management we discuss this in detail (I Can’t Take It Anymore: How to Manage Stress so It Doesn’t Manage You; Paul G. Longobardi, Ph.D., and Janice B. Longobardi, R.N., B.S.N., P.H.N.). The book is available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1542458056 . For additional information about the book, authors, and stress, please visit our website at www.manageyourhealthandstress.com. But for now, briefly consider our immune system. The main types of immune cells are white blood cells. There are two types of white blood cells – lymphocytes and phagocytes. When we are stressed, the immune system’s ability to fight off antigens is reduced. That is why we are more susceptible to infections, including coronavirus. Additionally, the stress hormone cortisol can suppress the effectiveness of the immune system (e.g. lowers the number of lymphocytes). Also, as discussed above, note that our normal tendency to develop a fever to fight off the virus may be less effective for a virus adapted for high temperatures, as in bats. We also know that stress can have an indirect effect on the immune system as a person may use unhealthy behavioral coping strategies to reduce their stress, such as drinking and smoking. Stress has been correlated with a number of health conditions such as headaches, infectious illness (e.g. ‘flu), cardiovascular disease, diabetes, asthma, and gastric ulcers.

So the message seems clear. Particularly during these times, what can you do to reduce your stress levels? Well, there are many strategies as I’ve outlined in past posts. From a psychological perspective, connect with your friends and loved ones through phone calls, video chats, texts, and emails. It is well known that we are social beings and to deprive ourselves of social connections via social isolation is to risk even more increases in anxiety and disruption of brain functioning. Yes, stress affects the brain as well. Limit the amount of time each day you tune in to the media for information and updates about the coronavirus, perhaps to the morning and during the evening for brief periods. There’s no need to stay tuned in full time, it will only increase your anxiety. Then there are the basic practical steps you can take to lessen the likelihood of contracting the virus. These include to avoid unnecessary travel and crowds. Wash your hands often with soap and water (or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer) for 20 seconds. Keep your hands away from your face, especially your eyes, mouth, and nose. How can you relax despite worries about the coronavirus? Get some regular exercise, it reduces tension and helps you sleep better. Try relaxation and/or breathing strategies such as yoga, meditation, controlled breathing. There are apps on the internet as well as You Tube videos to help guide you. Some apps teach simple forms of meditation such as Headspace. Find other ways you like to relax. Read a book you’ve wanted to do, engage in a home project, watch a favorite relaxing television program. Eat your favorite foods. And, as mentioned above, stay in contact with friends and loved ones. You can help them and they can help you. Relaxation helps stimulate the prefrontal cortical areas thus calming your brain.

So yes, there is a connection among bats, your immune system, stress, and the coronavirus. Good luck on your journey to reduced stress and increased well being in these challenging times.

Dr. Paul Longobardi

For additional information about these and related matters, please visit my website at www.successandmindset.com

ARE YOU AT RISK FOR POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER DURING OR AFTER THE PANDEMIC?

Have you been experiencing flashbacks, memories, distressing dreams, excessive anger/anxiety/irritability having to do with your experience during the COVID-19 pandemic? If so, you might be experiencing post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). But wait. Some people tell me that this is only for war veterans. Not true. In the face of any traumatic event, it is possible to experience PTSD. This is a psychiatric disorder which can occur in people who have been involved in a serious accident, terrorist attack, school shooting, or physical assault, among other traumas. In my practice, I recently have seen numerous individuals who experience these symptoms from major fires. Yes, you may be more at risk being a medical worker directly working with COVID-19 patients. Additionally, being essential workers like police/fire personnel, grocery store personnel, may increase your risk. Even being self-quarantined may increase risk of PTSD. There were two useful recent articles on this topic from which I drew material. One is by Cory Stieg dated 4/18/20 titled “Could you get PTSD from your pandemic experience?” The other reviews some recent Chinese data on the effects of pandemic quarantine for COVID symptoms. It is by Jamie Alten from 4/4/20 titled “Are COVID-19 patients at risk for PTSD?”

Stieg noted that after the SARS outbreak in 2003, both healthcare workers and people who were self-quarantined exhibited symptoms of PTSD. According to experts, the Covid-19 pandemic could have a similar effect. Even if you aren’t clinically diagnosed with PTSD, you may have a strong emotional reaction to the trauma of COVID-19 that can last long after the incident. Dr. Luana Marques, clinical psychologist at Harvard Medical School, noted that a key element is what we think about the event and and what it means to us. This is the essence of the cognitive model. As Dr. Marques noted, use the acronym ‘TEB’ It stands for: thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. “People should be watching what they’re saying to themselves, and how that’s making them feel and what they do,” Marques says. “If you spend all day ruminating that you’re going to get sick or lose your job, then you might go home and drink to feel better and wake up feeling worse the next day. If your thought patterns tend to be ‘black and white or catastrophic,’ that’s not a good sign. That leads to distorted thinking and dysfunctional behavior”. Those who struggle with other mental health conditions, such as anxiety or depression, or who have a prior history of trauma, may be at increased risk of more ongoing distress. It is important that you stay aware of symptoms as noted earlier such as invasive thoughts, nightmares, upsetting memories of the experience, flashbacks, sleep problems, irritability. feeling stressed out. Most of us recover after time. However, if you are experiencing symptoms months after the pandemic subsides, if you still have trouble getting on with your life and work, it may be worth getting help from a therapist or mental health professional. Some useful tips in the Stieg article include finding a coping mechanism that can “anchor” you, like calling a friend or exercising. Also, you can lessen your involvement with the news. Studies suggest that simply watching news coverage of a traumatic event can trigger acute stress symptoms, according to Dr. Marques. Maintaining the strategies that you know tend to work is one way you can make sure you’re not suffering months down the road. Maintain strategies that support your resilience in coping with restrictions, anxiety, and fears associated with the pandemic. These are stressful times. For information on stress management, please read our book (I Can’t Take It Anymore: How to Manage Stress so It Doesn’t Manage You; Paul G. Longobardi, Ph.D., and Janice B. Longobardi, R.N., B.S.N., P.H.N.), available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1542458056. For additional information about the book, authors, and stress in general, please visit our website at www.manageyourhealthandstress.com.

As we know, physical separation from others and social distancing have been key mitigation strategies during the last several months. While it is necessary, there may be consequences for those isolated—especially, perhaps, coupled with the experience of having the illness—that need attention. In his article, Alten reported that Chinese researchers have recently investigated if PTSD was prevalent within COVID-19 survivors. They studied the mental health status of those discharged from quarantine facilities. Their research paper, published in the journal Psychological Medicine on March 27th, noted: “Due to social isolation, perceived danger, uncertainty, physical discomfort, medication side effects, fear of virus transmission to others, and overwhelming negative news portrayal in mass media coverage, patients with COVID-19 may experience loneliness, anger, anxiety, depression, and insomnia, and posttraumatic stress symptoms.” The investigators asked COVID-19 patients to participate in an online questionnaire before their release from the five quarantine facilities constructed in Wuhan, Hubei province. The participants all needed to meet a criterion before taking part in the questionnaire. Alten reported that each person needed to be a clinically stable adult COVID-19 patient as verified by medical records. Of the 730 patients recruited to be in the study, 714 people averaging 50 years of age met standards to participate. They measured reported PTSD symptoms on a commonly used checklist for PTSD symptoms. Alten noted that the investigators found that based on the PTSD Checklist questionnaire, the prevalence of serious PTSD in the patients discharged from the quarantine facilities was at a staggeringly high 96.2%. While the investigators acknowledged that some other factors might contribute to PTSD symptoms, it was clear that a significant number of COVID-19 survivors suffered from PTSD before being released from quarantine. What this suggests to me is that treatment (including access to psychological care) needs to not stop once patients are discharged. Additionally, it could be that non-hospitalized patients with symptoms released from isolation also may need attention and intervention as well. There may be implications for non-patients in social isolation as well. While we do not how extensive those issues are at present, it is worthwhile to keep in mind the burgeoning knowledge we have over decades on the relationship between the mind and the body, including the immune system. It is important to stay connected to others even when physically separated.

So, stay connected to others as well as you can, whether by phone, text, video chats. Stay safe and healthy. Look for one another. Best of luck on your journey.

Dr. Paul Longobardi

For information on these and related topics, please visit my website at www.successandmindset.com

ARE YOU AT RISK FOR MENTAL HEALTH ANXIETY DISORDERS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC?

We all have concerns about the COVID-19 virus and the possibilities for us and our loved ones to be infected. That is understandable. Anxiety is a normal part of life but sometimes situations can result in such stress that our coping mechanisms are overwhelmned. Stress challenges all of us at times and has been a source of distress long before COVID-19. For complete information about stress and its management, please see our book (I Can’t Take It Anymore: How to Manage Stress so It Doesn’t Manage You; Paul G. Longobardi, Ph.D., and Janice B. Longobardi, R.N., B.S.N., P.H.N.), available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1542458056. For additional information about the book, authors, and stress, please visit our website at www.manageyourhealthandstress.com. At such times of stress as these, our concerns about risks for COVID-19 can become greater and evolve into an actual mental disorder, e.g. anxiety disorders. There is good reason to think so based on ongoing recent research. I have just seen an excellent article on this topic from Psychology Today. It is by Cami Rosso from 3/2/20 titled “How COVID-19 may affect mental health”.

Long before the COVID-19 pandemic, anxiety disorders have ranked as one of the most common mental health disorders in the world. According to Ms. Rosso, citing University of Oxford research, anxiety disorders are the most widespread of mental health disorders. They impacted an estimated 284 million people in 2017 worldwide. In the U.S. alone, anxiety disorders affect an estimated 40 million adults according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. Environmental factors that may increase the risk of anxiety disorders include early childhood trauma and life experiences. There may be a genetic component as well to anxiety disorders. There are numerous neuroanatomical regions of the brain mediating the fear associated with anxiety. One of the most significant brain regions is the amygdala. The amygdala is located in the medial temporal lobe, a part of the limbic system involved with fear and our emotional reactions.. Anxiety disorders are manifested in children and adults by excessive fear and avoidance. Some examples of anxiety disorders include panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and several variants of phobic disorders. Common symptoms of anxiety include sleep issues, challenges on thinking or focusing on topics other than what is triggering the worrying, sweating, trembling, restlessness, tension, nervousness, hyperventilation, challenges controlling worrying, avoiding anxiety triggers, increased heart rate, gastrointestinal issues, and a sense of impending doom, danger or panic. Ms. Rosso noted various steps to manage normal anxiety, many of which I’ve mentioned in other posts (Ways to Protect Your Mental Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic, April 1, 2020). These include getting adequate sleep, proper nutrition, and regular exercise. You can make time for fun and relaxation, such as hobbies, meditation, yoga, or even listening to music to redirect the mind and calm the body. However, it is vital to identify what is triggering the feelings of apprehension and create a plan. If COVID-19 is the source of your anxiety, create a plan. Follow the practices recommended by all medical experts. These include practicing good hygiene by washing hands often for at least 20 seconds with soap, avoiding touching the face with hands (especially the eyes, nose, and mouth), covering coughs with the elbow or tissue, and staying at home if sick. Stock supplies (food, medications, hygiene products, etc.) in the case of a 14-day or longer quarantine. Get a seasonal flu shot. Postpone nonessential travel, especially to areas with active outbreaks. Many employers and educational institutions have set up virtual classrooms, use remote conferencing for meetings (such as video conferencing and teleconferencing), allow working from home, postpone large gatherings, and encourage staying at home if sick. Mental health professionals such as psychiatrists and psychologists may assist in determining anxiety disorders that are not due to medical conditions. Please realize that anxiety disorders are treatable. Depending on the anxiety disorder, your treatment may include medications (e.g. anti-anxiety, antidepressants, and beta-blockers), managing the symptoms, and cognitive behavioral therapy. Remember that our anxiety and fears are a way of helping us confront the threats of life and help us survive. It is only problematic when your anxiety and fear persist or impair your day-to-day tasks, performing at work or school, rational decision-making, and maintaining healthy relationships. In those circumstances, please reach out for help. There is no stigma in seeking professional help. Mental health is as important as physical health. In fact, good mental health fosters good physical health and well being. In subsequent weeks, I will focus on some other mental disorders for which you may be at risk during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

For now, good luck on your journey. Be well and healthy.

Dr. Paul Longobardi

For information on these and related topics, please see my website at www.successandmindset.com

WAYS TO PROTECT YOUR MENTAL HEALTH DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Concerns about and reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic continue to rise with the spread of the virus across the globe and our country. As the number of diagnosed cases as well as deaths rise, concerns about mental health reactions are increasing secondary to the disease process itself, growing social restrictions and financial pressures, and relationship issues. The governor of New York just this week asked for help from mental health professionals who rose to the challenge with over 6000 professionals pledging to assist. The World Health Organization noted that depression is the leading cause of disability in the world. Depression and anxiety can be expected to rise as the pandemic continues. One of the many problems is that depression results in increased immunocompromise. So what can any of us do to maintain and protect our mental health with such challenges? I was impressed by reading a series of 14 recommendations put out by Public Health England as detailed in an article titled “14 Ways to Protect Your Mental Health in the Pandemic” for the World Economic Forum for 3/29/20 by Ceri Parker. I have chosen to reprint those recommendations here as I think they are an excellent compilation of strategies for all of us to follow to maintain our mental health. The recommendations are as follows:

1. Consider how to connect with others: Video calls with friends and family can help beat isolation. Text messages, social media, all help with reducing isolation.

2. Help and support others: Think about how you could help those around you – it could make a big difference to them and can make you feel better too.

3. Talk about your worries: Remember that this is a difficult time for everyone and sharing how you are feeling and the things you are doing to cope with family and friends can help them too. If you find yourself becoming very anxious and/or depressed, reach out online or to your local mental health facilities to find professionals, many of whom can see you via telehealth means.

4. Look after your physical wellbeing: Try to eat healthy, well-balanced meals, drink enough water, exercise inside where possible and outside once a day (keeping the recommended six feet from others as outlined in the social distancing guidance and if this is in accordance with government advice in your country).

5. Look after your sleep: Try to maintain regular sleeping patterns and keep good sleep hygiene practices – like avoiding television and computer screens before bed, cutting back on caffeine and creating a restful environment.

6. Try to manage difficult feelings: Try to focus on the things you can control, including where you get information from and actions to make yourself feel better prepared.

7. Manage your media and information intake: 24-hour news and constant social media updates can make you more worried. It may help to only check the news at set times or limit yourself to a couple of checks a day.

8. Get the facts: Gather high-quality information that will help you to accurately determine your own or other people’s risk of contracting coronavirus (COVID-19) so that you can take reasonable precautions.

9. Think about your new daily routine: Think about how you can adapt and create positive new routines – try to engage in useful activities (such as cleaning, cooking or exercise) or meaningful activities (such as reading or calling a friend). You might find it helpful to write a plan for your day or your week.

10. Do things you enjoy: If you can’t do the things you normally enjoy because you are staying at home, try to think about how you could adapt them, or try something new. There are lots of free tutorials and courses online.

11. Set goals: Setting goals and achieving them gives a sense of control and purpose – think about things you want or need to do that you can still do at home.

12. Keep your mind active: Read, write, play games, do crossword puzzles, jigsaws or drawing and painting. Find something that works for you.

13.Take time to relax and focus on the present: Relaxation techniques can help some people to deal with feelings of anxiety. For useful resources see meditation aps online to include HeadSpace.

14.If you can, once a day get outside, or bring nature in: Spending time in green spaces can benefit both your mental and physical wellbeing. If you can’t get outside you can try to get these positive effects by spending time with the windows open, or arranging space to sit and see a view (if possible) and get some natural sunlight.

These all are useful tips to help us maintain and protect our mental health in a time of challenge. For additional information about stress, please see our book (I Can’t Take It Anymore: How to Manage Stress so It Doesn’t Manage You; Paul G. Longobardi, Ph.D., and Janice B. Longobardi, R.N., B.S.N., P.H.N.), available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1542458056. For additional information about the book, authors, and stress, please visit our website at www.manageyourhealthandstress.com.

Best of luck in your journey.

Dr. Paul Longobardi

For information on these and related topics, please see my website at www.successandmindset.com

HOW CAN YOUR TEENAGER LESSEN THE STRESSES OF THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC?

Being a teenager is difficult enough without the stress of a pandemic. Teenagers worry about school, friendships, families, their future, among many concerns. However, the coronavirus disease is making life even harder for teenagers. With school closures and cancelled events, many teenagers are not able to participate in many big moments of adolescence, e.g. parties, graduations, sports events, as well as daily events such as interacting with friends and being in class at school. For teenagers and parents facing stressful life changes due to the outbreak who are feeling anxious, isolated and disappointed, you are not alone. Included below are nine tips for how your teenagers can help lessen the stresses of this pandemic. I am indebted for some of the tips to an article by Dr. Lisa Damour on the UNICEF website for 3/20/20 titled “How teenagers can protect their mental health during coronavirus (COVID-19)” Some of the tips are from an earlier post I wrote last year on 3/27/19 titled “Eight tips to help teens manage stress”. For complete information on stress management, please read our book (I Can’t Take It Anymore: How to Manage Stress so It Doesn’t Manage You; Paul G. Longobardi, Ph.D., and Janice B. Longobardi, R.N., B.S.N., P.H.N.), available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1542458056. For more information about the book, authors, and stress, please visit our website at www.manageyourhealthandstress.com. Here are the nine tips:

1. Recognize that your anxiety is completely normal. If school closures and alarming headlines are making you feel anxious, you are completely normal. “Psychologists have long recognized that anxiety is a normal and healthy function that alerts us to threats and helps us take measures to protect ourselves,” says Dr. Damour in her article. Too much anxiety can be debilitating. However, just enough anxiety helps us make focused decisions, such as to not spend time with other people or in large groups, washing your hands and not touching your face. Seek out reliable sources of information. If you become concerned that you are experiencing symptoms, it is important to speak to your parents about it. Most illness due to coronavirus is generally mild, particularly for children and young adults. Tell your parents or a trusted adult if you’re not feeling well, or if you’re feeling worried about the virus, so they can help.

2. Create distractions and engage in pleasant activities. We know that when we are faced with difficult situations, there are things we can do and things about which we can do nothing. Do the things you can, such as homework through online platforms, watching a favorite movie, reading, taking up something new you’ve wanted to try but have yet to do. It’s important for teens to find activities they find enjoyable. The activity can be almost anything teenagers find enjoyable, to include listening to music, reading for fun, working on projects with their hands.

3. Find new ways to connect with your friends Being a teenager is all about connecting to and spending time with friends. The current pandemic presents challenges but they are surmountable. If you want to spend time with friends while you’re practicing social distancing, social media is a great way to connect.

4. Learn how to do something new . You can start reading a new book or practicing a musical instrument. Now is a good time to do that. Focusing on yourself and finding ways to use your new-found time is a productive way to look after your mental health.

5. Feel your feelings Missing out on events with friends, hobbies, or sports matches is disappointing. Dr. Damour noted that “The best way to deal with this disappointment? Let yourself feel it. When it comes to having a painful feeling, the only way out is through. Go ahead and be sad, and if you can let yourself be sad, you’ll start to feel better faster.” Processing feelings is different for everyone. Dr. Damour observed that “Some kids are going to make art, some kids are going to want to talk to their friends and use their shared sadness as a way to feel connected in a time when they can’t be together in person, and some kids are going to want to find ways to get food to food banks,”. The key is to do what feels right to you.

6. Focus on and connect to family. Teenagers are concerned about and worry about family. Through social distancing they may have fewer opportunities to interact face to face with family members to include grandparents. This again is a time to use all digital means to include face time, video conferencing, etc. to remain connected to and with grandparents and other family members outside of the immediate home.

7. Physical exercise. One of the more effective stress relief activities is to engage in exercise. It remains important, even in a pandemic, to engage in some exercise. Teens should find activities they enjoy, e.g. running, walking, yoga, skateboarding, etc. Many of these activities can be done outdoors as long as appropriate social distancing is maintained.

8. Sleep. To stay strong and increase resistance to potential viral infections, teens should continue to get their proper sleep, usually defined as approximately 9 hours per night. Surveys by the American Psychological Association show that teens report that they sleep on average only 7.4 hours per school night. Now that schools are out in most places for the current time, there is more opportunity for teenagers to sleep their proper hours. However, usual sleep hygiene recommendations apply. For example, reduce stimulating activities, e.g. TV and computers in the hour before sleep, and don’t drink stimulating beverages too close to bedtime.

9. Breathing/meditation/relaxation/mindfulness. Increasingly, various relaxation and present focusing strategies are being used to reduce stress and anxiety. These can be used to help teens learn how to focus and calm themselves in the face of challenges. This includes yoga, meditation, mindfulness, breathing exercises, many of which are accessible on the internet.

In this time of stress and anxiety over the coronavirus pandemic, there is much that can be done to assist youth in coping with these challenges as well as maintaining good mental health and well being. Let’s help and encourage them in these areas.

Good luck on your journey.

Dr. Paul Longobardi

For information on these and related topics, please see my website at www.successandmindset.com

HOW DOES STRESS ABOUT CORONAVIRUS AFFECT YOUR BRAIN AND WHAT CAN YOU DO ABOUT IT?

The world wide coronavirus pandemic continues to spread in the United States. We are receiving all sorts of guidance about personal hygiene, social distancing, vulnerable groups, travel restrictions, etc. We are observing occasional panic buying around us. Now, with the vaccines starting to become available, there is significant stress about gaining access to it. All of this continues to reinforce the idea that our ability to withstand with resilience and hardiness the stresses of the current situation as well as adjust our approach to stress will determine our weathering of this health challenge.

As we know, during stressful moments, cortisol levels rise and, together with another hormone called adrenaline, signal the body into making a fight-or-flight response. Specifically, cortisol increases glucose, or sugar, in the bloodstream. That enhances your brain's use of that glucose for energy and suppresses bodily functions that aren't immediately needed during an emergency, such as digestion, reproduction and growth. Once the stressful event passes, cortisol levels should fall. This, however, doesn’t always happen particularly if the stress persists such as our current coronavirus health challenge continues to last. Our bodies may continue to perceive stress or retain high levels of cortisol even past the cessation of the stressor (translate: coronavirus challenge). Consistently higher cortisol levels can cause damage to the heart and other body organs. So, the idea that stress and higher cortisol levels can affect memory and brain functioning is not entirely new. Such levels also can affect our mood and emotional state. We discuss the effects of stress on the brain, body, and emotions in our book (I Can’t Take It Anymore: How to Manage Stress so It Doesn’t Manage You; Paul G. Longobardi, Ph.D., and Janice B. Longobardi, R.N., B.S.N., P.H.N.), available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1542458056. For information about the book, authors, and stress, please visit our website at www.manageyourhealthandstress.com.

So can persistent stressors affect brain connectivity? In an article from the Berkeley News by Robert Sanders titled “New evidence that chronic stress predisposes brain to mental illness”, the author discussed how research has shown that excess of myelin – and thus, white matter – in some areas of the brain disrupts the delicate balance and timing of communication within the brain. In particular, there is indication that high levels of stress interfere with the hippocampus which is involved in the regulation of memory and emotion. The author cited findings suggesting a mechanism that may explain some changes in brain connectivity such as in people with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), for example. For people under persistent high levels of stress, they may develop a stronger connectivity between the hippocampus and the amygdala – the seat of the brain’s fight or flight response – and lower than normal connectivity between the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, which moderates our responses. This means that if your amygdala and hippocampus are better connected, that could mean that your fear responses are much quicker. This can be seen in stress survivors or people subjected to ongoing levels of chronic and persistent stress. If your connections are not so good to the prefrontal cortex, your ability to shut down fearful responses is impaired. So, when you are in a stressful situation, such as the coronavirus pandemic and associated occurrences, the inhibitory pathways from the prefrontal cortex telling you not to get stressed don’t work as well as the amygdala communicating danger to the hippocampus and facilitating an emotional overreaction which the hippocampus retains as a memory. Thus, in some respects, your brain is “stressing you out”.

What causes this anxiety just described? Well, If you’re like most people, uncertainty can cause you tremendous anxiety. In an article in Forbes last year by Bryan Robinson titled “The Psychology of Uncertainty”, the author discussed how the brain, due to its disdain for uncertainty, makes up all sorts of untested stories hundreds of times a day because to the mind, uncertainty equals danger. We humans are hardwired to overestimate threats and underestimate our ability to handle them—all in the name of survival. Robinson explained that when certainty is questioned, your stress response goes awry, instantly arousing your stress response, so that you will take action and return to safety. In fact studies have shown that people are calmer awaiting certain pain than anticipating uncertain pain. Scientists have found that job uncertainty, for example, takes a greater toll on your health than actually losing the job. One thing that is clear about the coronavirus challenge is that it involves high levels of uncertainty about possible adverse health and employment outcomes.

Robinson noted how scientists have long said that “every thought that enters the mind eventually finds a place in the body where it bears the burden. Your mindset during this crisis is everything. Your perspective is the most powerful thing you can control in a situation that is beyond your control”. If we fill our thoughts with panic, there is yet another level of stress which can compromise our immune system. In the article it was noted that molecular scientists have discovered that certain stressful thought patterns, such as rumination and pessimism, can shorten our telomeres—the en-casings at the end of our chromosomes—the stress of which can make us age faster and die sooner. So in addition to washing our hands, we need to cleanse our minds to offset catastrophic thinking. Take some charge of the uncertainty in these times and engage in useful preparation so as to reduce the negative effects on your brain.

What can you do? From a psychological perspective, connect with your friends and loved ones through phone calls, video chats, texts, and emails. It is well known that we are social beings and to deprive ourselves of social connections via social isolation is to risk even more increases in anxiety and disruption of brain functioning. Limit the amount of time each day you tune in to the media for information and updates about the coronavirus, perhaps to the morning and during the evening for brief periods. There’s no need to stay tuned in full time, it will only increase your anxiety. Then there are the basic practical steps you can take to lessen the likelihood of contracting the virus. These include to avoid unnecessary travel and crowds. Wash your hands often with soap and water (or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer) for 20 seconds. Keep your hands away from your face, especially your eyes, mouth, and nose. How can you relax despite worries about the coronavirus? Try relaxation and/or breathing strategies such as yoga, meditation, controlled breathing. There are apps on the internet as well as You Tube videos to help guide. Some apps teach simple forms of meditation such as Headspace. Find other ways you like to relax. Read a book you’ve wanted to do, engage in a home project, watch a favorite relaxing television program. Eat your favorite foods. And, as mentioned above, stay in contact with friends and loved ones. You can help them and they can help you. Relaxation helps stimulate the prefrontal cortical areas thus calming our brains.

Take a breath. Be kind to your brain. We will get through this. Good luck on your journey.

Dr. Paul Longobardi

For information on these and related topics, please see my website at www.successandmindset.com

HOW COGNITIVE BIASES HELP EXPLAIN WHY SO MANY ARE IN PANIC OVER CORONAVIRUS?

Have you heard about the outbreak of Coronavirus? How could you not? How concerned are you about your chance of infection? How likely is your chance of infection? While that is difficult to say, we can be sure that panic is not the answer. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what many people tend to do in situations like these. As humans we overreact because we naturally have cognitive biases which predispose us to overjudge threats as more likely than they are. Combined with high levels of media coverage, we become prone to exercise panic buying so as to feel we are exercising some control over a possibly dangerous outcome. That’s in part why so many people are buying up toilet paper among other items. As we prepare for the worst, irrational impulses inundate our more usual reasonable thinking. In fact, there is a lot of psychological research to explain how and why this happens. Below are five cognitive biases that make us perceive the threat of Coronavirus as worse than it actually is.

1. Fearful outcomes are overrated as more likely to occur than they actually do. Have you ever worried about the safety of flying in a commercial airline? People I have treated who have excessive anxiety about doing so often estimate the likelihood of a plane crash at 40-50% when in fact the odds are tiny, less even than of dying in an automobile crash on the freeway. So do you know anyone who has contracted the Coronavirus infection? If no, do you know anyone who knows someone who has contracted the infection? If not, then it may well be that you are overestimating the likelihood of contracting the virus.

2. When we can imagine fearful outcomes easily we make judgments that the event is likely to occur even when it is not. Have you ever worried about being bitten by a snake? If your answer is yes, you are not alone. Almost everyone who takes walks in the woods or in fields has, at some point, imagined the threat of a snake bite. Why? Not because the odds are high, but because we’ve seen endless movies about fearsome snakes and we hear about snake bites on the news. The idea of a snake bite is easy to imagine and we therefore think it could happen to us. The same is true of Coronavirus. With hundreds of stories being published on Coronavirus every day, we are naturally led to believe that the epidemic is bigger, closer, and more dangerous than it actually is. How can you combat this type of flawed reasoning? One way is to take a more passive interest in the news rather than being glued to the TV or reading every new Coronavirus headline that is published. This will make Coronavirus less in your awareness and consequently less threatening. Also note the two questions in cognitive bias number one above and for most of us we can move Coronavirus a little lower on our cognitive/emotional preoccupation scale.

3. Fearfulness results in less rational decision making. It is worthwhile to take a breath and do some calculations to help allay some of the fears. For example, consider that there are about 7.5 billion people in the world. According to the CDC, approximately 114,000 people have been infected as of yesterday. Let’s call it 100,000. That means the current odds of anyone in the world contracting the virus is approximately 1 in 75,000. Combine that with the fact that few people who contract the virus actually become seriously ill and you can see how irrational is our panic.

4. Humans have a bias for negativity. Alas, it is true. Humans appear hard wired toward negativity, sometimes called the “negativity bias”. Now this tendency often has served us well over our history. Our cognitive structures have endowed us with capacity to notice and attend to threats. It has helped our survival in difficult environments. However, it can lead to excessive worry and stress. For example, it is good for us to exercise flight or fight when faced with dangerous threats such as a saber toothed tiger. However, to react today with the same degree of worry and stress to our current threats leads to excessive anxiety and the stress which contributes negatively to our physical and mental health. Such threats often receive more attention than they deserve. Be cognizant of the fact that your mind is geared to help you survive. Be grateful but allow your rational mind to turn off worries when it is safe to do so. We discuss the effects of stress in our book (I Can’t Take It Anymore: How to Manage Stress so It Doesn’t Manage You; Paul G. Longobardi, Ph.D., and Janice B. Longobardi, R.N., B.S.N., P.H.N.), available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1542458056. For additional information about the book, authors, and stress, please visit our website at www.manageyourhealthandstress.com.

5. We want to believe that we are in control. It is very human to believe that we are in control of our fate and circumstances. When an event like a Coronavirus outbreak threatens that belief, we can become anxious, worried, and in panic. Those feelings can lead to the so-called “panic buying” of paper towels, toilet paper, water, and sanitizer. We are influenced by those around us as social creatures. If we are seeing others buying up the above items and see images of empty shelves, we are inclined to want to take action to regain our sense of control particularly in an unclear situation. However, it would be better to gain control by educating yourself about the virus, taking reasonable precautions such as washing hands, and observing recommendations such as limiting exposure to crowds.

In conclusion, be mindful of your (and my) tendencies toward cognitive biases. Coronavirus is almost certainly not coming for you. And, even if it were coming for you, panic is not the answer. Check your thinking, wash your hands, take other reasonable precautions, continue enjoying your life, and leave the rest to chance.

Good luck on your journey. Be well.

Dr. Paul Longobardi

For information on these and related topics, please see my website at www.successandmindset.com

SIX TIPS ON HOW TO MANAGE YOUR USE OF CAFFEINE

We are celebrating National Caffeine Awareness Month this March. Over 80% of Americans consume caffeine in some form each day, most commonly in coffee.  Research studies have shown that drinking 3-4 cups of coffee per day (300-400 milligrams per day) has minimal adverse effects for most persons.  In fact, there are some beneficial effects of caffeine consumption to include improved mood and increased mental awareness.  In part, this comes from caffeine’s blockage of adenosine receptors which act as depressants. 

However, too much caffeine consumption has negative effects to include increased anxiety, sleep disorders, as well as increased heart rate and blood pressure.  In the mental health arena I am familiar with the psychiatric diagnoses of caffeine induced anxiety disorders such as panic states as well as caffeine induced sleep disorders.  These represent extreme states of dysfunction secondary to excessive caffeine intake.  Consumption of caffeine has long been linked to anxiety. The effects of caffeine and the symptoms of anxiety both increase activity within the sympathetic nervous system. Caffeine has been linked to the aggravation and maintenance of anxiety disorders, and the initiation of panic or anxiety attacks in those who are already predisposed to such phenomena. Caffeine usage surpassing 200 mg has been shown in some studies to increase the likelihood for anxiety and panic attacks in a population. Excessive amounts of caffeine can result in symptoms from general anxiety to obsessive-compulsive and phobic symptoms.

Given that most people will not give up their caffeine (including me and my morning coffee), what are some tips and strategies to try to manage and limit your caffeine intake? 

1. Get enough sleep. Then you will need less caffeine during the day. Most people need 7-8 hours per day but often get less in our busy world.

2. Engage in exercise. This gets your body active, including your heart, blood flow, and your general metabolism.

3. Get active and take a walk several times a day outdoors or around your building. As you move about you get energized and if you go outside you absorb Vitamin D. You will feel more alert.

4. Take some deep breaths way down in your stomach. With deep breathing, you get more oxygen to your brain and feel more alert, less sleepy, and have less need for caffeine.

5. Keep busy. Activity builds on itself. If you stall on some major project, engage in smaller projects that can be done more quickly. While this might seem to violate the tenets of time management in staying with the high priority task, sitting around inactive too long will result in the kind of decreased alertness and drowsiness which may drive you to the coffee pot.

6. Manage the stressors in your life. People often say that they need a cup of coffee to “calm their nerves”. While this actually is inconsistent with the physiological effects of caffeine, it would be much better to find ways to manage the stressors in your life. Some of the above steps can help. For more information, please see our book (I Can’t Take It Anymore: How to Manage Stress so It Doesn’t Manage You; Paul G. Longobardi, Ph.D., and Janice B. Longobardi, R.N., B.S.N., P.H.N.), available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1542458056. For more information about the book, authors, and stress, please see our website at www.manageyourhealthandstress.com. So, you need not entirely give up your caffeine but rather manage it before it manages you.  Good luck on your journey.

   Dr. Paul Longobardi

   For more information on these and related topics, please see my website at www.successandmindset.com. 

FIVE STEPS TO MAKE PROGRESS WITH YOUR NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS

We are almost done with the month of February, it's a good time to reflect on how you're doing with your New Year's resolutions.  We all know that people start out with good intentions but that after several weeks to a month, resolutions often are forgotten or superceded by other priorities. Why does this happen and what can you do about it?  Basically, resolutions are nothing more than goals.  So the same principles and guidelines which apply to goal setting and accomplishment apply to what we call resolutions.  Some experts note that one principal reason for why you fall away from your resolution or goal is that the present overwhelmns the future.  Let’s say you are at work and choose to get your files better organized. That goal takes you into the future.  However, if your supervisor dictates other priorities for you, then that present directive may relegate your well intentioned goal/resolution to incompletion.  So what can you do? Well, based on what we know about goal setting, here are five recommendations:

1.  Make it public.  It long has been a tenet of social psychology that a public commitment to a goal has a better chance of accomplishment than a private commitment you keep to yourself.  So tell someone you trust and who hopefully will support you in your effort.

2.  Set milestone markers.  This is the idea of breaking down the goal/resolution into smaller but accomplishable pieces.  We've all heard the joke which goes like this: "How do you eat an elephant?  A bite at a time".  When you break down your goal into smaller pieces, it will be less overwhelmning.

3.  Use "if/then" statements to form new habits.  You can get more done by using this strategy.  Put your goals into these kinds of statements and you will be more likely to stay with it.  For example, using the file organization task, you might decide to break it down alphabetically, e.g. do files beginning with A or B at a particular time such as Tuesday at 3 PM.  Your statement might go like this: If it's Tuesday at 3 PM, then I work on organizing files labeled A and B.  When you accomplish that, rework it for C and D, etc.  

4.  Don't think too positively.  Now this probably seems odd coming from a psychologist who talks about positive/growth mindsets.  However, Dr. Gabriele Oettingen noted that "too much optimism about a goal gets in the way of the energy needed to reach it, people feel accomplished, it's accompanied by a kind of relaxation".  Then you do less.  Rather, combine your positive energy with a recognition of the obstacles, sometimes referred to as "mental contrasting".  If you combine this with #3, the "if/then" strategy, you will have a better chance of maintaining progress toward your goal/resolution.  

5.  Look for other fresh starts.  I use this strategy frequently for myself and clients.  If your goals are not working out at this point, pick another milestone.  There are many natural break points in life, e.g start of a new week or month, an anniversary of something important to you, a particular holiday, a Sunday reflection day.  Any can be effective to help motivate you to make progress.  So just because you got off the track by now, pick a new time to begin and use the other strategies and stick with your goal/resolution.  After all, you don't want to be the person whose goal is to cease smoking who says "quitting smoking is easy, I've done it a thousand times".  

Using all the strategies can help you achieve more than you thought.  If you slip, disrupt the tendency to berate yourself and overgeneralize, e.g. "I never follow through on things" which is simply not true and results in disruptive levels of stress. For detailed information about stress and changing your thoughts, please read our book (I Can’t Take It Anymore: How to Manage Stress so It Doesn’t Manage You; Paul G. Longobardi, Ph.D., and Janice B. Longobardi, R.N., B.S.N., P.H.N.), available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1542458056. For information about the authors, book, and stress management, please see our website at www.manageyourhealthandstress.com.

You can make this the year you accomplish more than you thought.  Good luck in your journey.

Dr. Paul Longobardi

For information on these and related topics, please go to my website at www.successandmindset.com

IS THERE ANYTHING TO LEARN ABOUT STRESS MANAGEMENT FROM OUR PRESIDENTS?

This week we set aside a holiday to remember and celebrate all presidents who have served our country. We certainly have heard much about the presidency lately. From the upcoming election to the recently completed contentious impeachment process of our current president, the presidency stays in the news. Putting aside our most recent challenges, it is clear that presidents deal with endless stressful events. Recent Presidents have had to deal with political friction, economic worries, and global conflicts among many other issues.   No matter who you support in the upcoming presidential election, how do you keep your own perspective in the midst of such challenges? There are multiple ways to manage stress including proper sleep, diet, maintenance of support systems, and taking time off.  However, I have noticed four stress management strategies which historically I believe have served many of our presidents well and may also serve you.  Consider the following:

1. Eliminate Negative Self-Talk.  When was the last time you heard any President or major leader putting themselves down or voicing negative thoughts about themselves?  It's not that they don't have them. Instead, it is the ability to notice what you're thinking, write it down if needed, and thereby loosen the power you give to the negative thought.  Blair Singer, a coach/trainer I've studied, talks about "little voice management" and how your use of extremes such as "never", "worst", and "overwhelmned" are both not true and interfere with your best functioning.  The brain does not know what is true but rather responds to your degree of negativity.  Eliminate your negative self talk.
2. Restructure your perspective.  When you are feeling stressed, your tendency is to blame the circumstances for your upset and worry.  Would it not be easy for most Presidents to blame external events and crises for why they feel stressed?  However, the key is how you respond to the challenges.  In a famous book titled Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl described his imprisonment in a Nazi death camp.  He noted that although everything in his life could be controlled, no one but he could control how he reacted to his circumstances.  In taking control to restructure his perspective, he adapted to an exceptionally traumatic and stressful circumstance.  Have you ever heard a President say "I'm a complete failure", or "Nothing will work out"?  I doubt it.  Instead, to correct this tendency to which we are prone, identify and challenge the thoughts/statements/beliefs causing the distress.  After all, none of the above statements are true and your mindset influences your brain.  Presidents have advisors and cabinets to help them with this but you can do it yourself.
3. Practice breathing.  How do you feel when you hurry speaking without taking regular breaths?  Probably more tense.  The practice of being aware of your breathing is common to many relaxation strategies including meditation, yoga, mindfulness, and progressive muscle relaxation. When you feel stressed, focus on your breathing for just a minute or two.  This keeps your mind from straying onto worrisome events and slows you down. Presidents take the time to pace themselves and this helps them generally maintain a calm attitude even in the face of crises.
4. Practice gratitude.  Take time to note, say, write down, or share several things each day for which you are grateful.  It works to help improve mood, lessen tension, and increase energy. Research studies have shown that it helps reduce the stress hormone cortisol, which may be involved in the improvements noted.  
While few of us, including me, face the stresses of a death camp or pressures of life and death world events, our daily world confronts us with many challenges.  How you respond to these challenges influences your mood, energy, well being, and physical health.  The good news is that you have more control over your response than you might have thought.  In our book on stress management (I Can't Take It Anymore: How to Manage Stress so It Doesn't Manage You; Paul G. Longobardi, Ph.D., and Janice B. Longobardi, R.N., B.S.N., P.H.N.), available on Amazon at  https://www.amazon.com/dp/1542458056, we discuss these issues and much more.  If you want to know more about the book and authors, please visit our website at www.manageyourhealthandstress.com.  

Let us give thanks for the presidency this week and learn what we can from many of our leaders. While stress is inevitable, your response is a choice.  Best of luck on your journey.  

Dr. Paul Longobardi

For more information on these and related topics, please go to my website at www.successandmindset.com.

Four Tips on How to Work Your Proper Hours

Work Your Proper Hours Day is February 28, 2020.  Work Your Proper Hours Day is the day when the average person who does unpaid overtime finishes the unpaid days they do every year, and starts earning for themselves.The day recognizes the millions of people at work who regularly do unpaid overtime, giving their employers billions of dollars of free work. If the millions of people who do unpaid overtime added it all up at the beginning of the year, it'd be until 28 February before they got paid for the work they've been doing. While I am not encouraging laziness and/or being a “clock watcher”, lLong hours aren't good for anyone. Stress from workloads and the long hours culture makes people sick and wrecks relationships, and tired staff have lower productivity. All of this is bad for business as well as personal health and well being. We discuss these issues related to stress in our book (I Can’t Take It Anymore: How to Manage Stress so It Doesn’t Manage You; Paul G. Longobardi, Ph.D., and Janice B. Longobardi, R.N., B.S.N., P.H.N.), available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1542458056. If you want to know more about the book, authors, and other information on stress, please visit our website at www.manageyourhealthandstress.com. If you are one of those people working unpaid overtime, consider how well or poorly you are balancing your life and what effect this is having on your mindset.  Then, consider four alternatives to help you make the most of your own time:

1.       Take a proper lunch break.  Read something interesting, get some fresh air and take a walk.  You’ll be surprised how much more refreshed you will feel when you go back to work.

2.      Engage in stress reduction.  Take several short breaks during the day to close your eyes, breathe deeply and say “relax” to yourself when you exhale as you imagine a pleasant scene.  Overwork and stress are detrimental to your mental and physical health.

3.      Leave work on time and enjoy your evening.  Enjoy your relationships whether with a significant other or with your children. They will all appreciate it and you will feel better and more relaxed when you retire for the night.

4.      Give yourself mental permission to enjoy your own time.  You can affirm to yourself that “I work best when I care for myself”.  If you repeat it several times, before long you will get in the habit of working your proper hours.  AND YOU WILL ENJOY YOUR LIFE MORE.

As always, remember that when you Change Your Thoughts You Change Your Results. Good luck on your journey.

Dr. Paul Longobardi

For more information on these and related issues, please visit my website at www.successandmindset.com

HOW YOU CAN IMPROVE YOUR RESULTS BY CHANGING YOUR THOUGHTS

Up until several decades ago, scientists thought our nervous system was fixed and incapable of regeneration.  However, we are learning that we can reshape our neural pathways to make us more successful and happy.  What we think about can have as much power as what we actually do.  When I was younger and my piano teacher asked me how much practice I'd done, I would tell her that I'd done not much real practice but a lot of imaginal practice.  While she never accepted that, scientists at Harvard Medical School have shown that there was more truth to my statement than even I had thought.  They conducted a study with volunteers who were asked to learn and practice a five-finger piano exercise.  Half of the volunteers were asked to actually practice two hours per day for five days.  The other half merely thought about practicing, holding their hands still while playing the music in their heads.  At the end of five days, both groups underwent a neural stimulation task allowing scientists to infer the function of the neurons.  It turned out that the same area of the motor cortex, involved in piano playing, had grown in the volunteers who thought about playing in an organized manner, just as the cortex grew for those who actually played. So, it appears clear that mental training can change the physical state of the brain and that the brain doesn't know the difference between real and imagined exercise.  My piano teacher would have been amazed.  However, there is a problem and that is that negative experiences and thoughts can hinder our brain functioning.  Work in neuroendocrinology at Stanford University has shown that stress is associated with neural degeneration because of the production of cortisol which shrinks the hippocampus of our brain, one area known able to regenerate new neurons.  Therefore, depending on what you think, you can expand or contract brain connections leading to more or less ability to learn new information and function in new situations.   How can this be applied to your life?  As I mentioned, the brain has a difficult time distinguishing between reality and imagination.  If you can limit your exposure to negative thoughts, people, and excessive stress, you can reduce their effects on your brain. If you want more information about stress, please read our book (I Can’t Take It Anymore: How to Manage Stress so It Doesn’t Manage You; Paul G. Longobardi, Ph.D., and Janice B. Longobardi, R.N., B.S.N., P.H.N.), available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1542458056. If you want to know more about the book, authors, and other aspects of stress, please visit our website at www.manageyourhealthandstress.com. For now, here are several applications:

1.  Resist the tendency to use negative and self defeating language.  This is a tenet of the mindset view as what we tell ourselves repeatedly becomes ingrained psychologically and neurologically as well.  Avoid limiting words such as "never", "can't", instead try "When I can", "How can I . . ."

2.  Use superlatives.  "I'm fine" rather than "I'm OK".  This takes you to a new energy level.  Gravitas in business and life often is esteemed but doesn't always do your brain well.

3.  Think larger than what you want.  Set your intention larger than you desire.  As you do so, you expand your thinking and begin to consider ways to make the larger goal more attainable.

4.  Begin and end communications and your day positively.  This sets the positive tone which helps keep dopamine, a neurotransmitter, flowing in your brain.  This contributes to increased sense of well being.

5.  Affirmations and declarations.  Begin to compile a list of affirmations, positive statements about yourself as you are and/or expect to be, e.g. "I connect well with clients and bring value".  Taking several minutes each day to repeat these sets your brain on the way to positive reshaping.  So changing your thoughts changes your brain and your results.  Take control.

As always, good luck on your journey.

Dr. Paul Longobardi

For more information on these and related topics, please visit my website at www.successandmindset.com

ARE YOU CRAZY TO FEEL GRIEF OVER THE DEATH OF KOBE BRYANT?

Like most of us, I was stunned yesterday to learn of the tragic death of former Los Angeles Laker basketball star Kobe Bryant in a helicopter crash along with his daughter and seven other persons. I watched the television as I saw numerous people who knew him express their upset, some very emotionally, such as Magic Johnson, Jerry West, and Doc Rivers. What initially appeared more remarkable was viewing numerous individuals who never met Kobe expressing their feelings of sadness, grief, and mourning. Large groups of persons who never met him gathered in downtown Los Angeles to share their grief with one another. What’s going on here? If you are one of the people feeling grief who never met Kobe Bryant, are you crazy to have those feelings? The answer is an emphatic no. And Kobe Bryant is hardly the first celebrity to die in your or my lifetime. I am very aware of where I was when, among other celebrities, I learned of the deaths of Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, and political/religious leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Senator Robert Kennedy, and President Kennedy.

So why is it that we are so affected by the deaths of these and other celebrities? Social science experts offer a range of explanations, for some of which I am indebted to Shira Gabriel’s article on why people mourn celebrities from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology:

1. Celebrities sometimes feel like our friends: This is what is called the role of parasocial bonds One reason we feel sad when bad things happen to celebrities is because they feel like our friends. Parasocial bonds are "one-way" relationships with celebrities; many people feel strongly connected to athletes, movie and television stars, popular musicians, news broadcasters, on-air meteorologists, and others even though no true interaction occurs. Believe it or not, parasocial bonds are actually pretty normal. Many of us have them. Even though we know logically that Kobe Bryant is not really our “friend”, we feel as if we are because we see him so often and have much information about him. That can be handy when they accomplish great things and we can feel proud of and connected to them. But it also means that when they get sick or die we grieve them much like we would a real friend.

2. Celebrities are tied to a younger time for us: This is the role of nostalgia. We might feel grief not because of a parasocial bond but rather because of nostalgia. People become important to us because of their connection to an earlier time in our lives. When they die, we can feel like we’ve lost a part of our life.

3 Celebrities dying remind us of our own mortality. We may also be upset by the deaths of celebrities because their deaths remind us of our own mortality. Terror management theory argues that we all have a fear of dying that we mostly deal with by not thinking about it. But when something pushes our own mortality into our minds, it can be unpleasant. When someone as young and vibrant as Kobe Bryant dies, it is natural to think of how we may die. I found it even more striking that Kobe had tweeted congratulations to Laker player Lebron James just the evening before for passing him in scoring record and less than 24 hours later was dead. It reminds us of how fragile life is and that can be terrifying.

4 Celebrities dying remind us that even special people die: In social psychology, experts call this the role of self-serving biases We may also react to the deaths of celebrities because they challenge our self-serving biases. A great deal of research in psychology suggests that most people desperately want to believe that the world is safe and predictable. That desire leads us to develop inaccurate views of the world so we can feel better about our lives. Many unpleasant events disrupt that view as I have written about before including traumatic reactions to disasters, mass shootings, etc. The death of a celebrity makes us realize that, if these awful things can happen to famous people, then we are at risk too. Celebrity deaths shake us up because they threaten the self-serving illusions that help make us feel secure and invulnerable.

5. Public grieving for celebrities allows us to express ourselves: Another reason people may mourn for celebrities is grief signaling. In other words, we may mourn celebrities because doing so can signal to others that we are committed to a particular group, cause, or identity. Dr. Cory Clark of Durham University pointed out that by publicly mourning the death of celebrities we let other people (maybe our Facebook friends, Twitter followers, or co-workers) know that we are devoted members of the “tribe” who knew and admired the celebrity’s cultural contributions. We thus communicate our group membership and good taste. We are able to connect with a large group of other people, at least temporarily. This is what was happening with the large groups gathering in public areas of Los Angeles, setting up memorials, and likely sharing the funeral service.

So are you crazy to feel grief over the death of Kobe Bryant? Not at all. There are many reasons. People mourn celebrities because: they feel a parasocial connection with the celebrities so their death feels like the loss of a friend; their death disrupts a link to our earlier years; their death makes us more aware of our own mortality; the passing of famous people makes us realize that we are not special enough to escape illness and death; and mourning celebrity deaths allows us to signal to others that we are a part of a certain group or have certain values.

Be mindful that times such as these are stressful. If you would like information about managing stress in your lives, please read our book (I Can’t Take It Anymore: How to Manage Stress so It Doesn’t Manage You; Paul G. Longobardi, Ph.D., and Janice B. Longobardi, R.N., B.S.N., P.H.N.), available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1542458056. For additional information about the authors, book, and stress, please visit our website at www.manageyourhealthandstress.com.

Good luck on your journey.

Dr. Paul Longobardi

For information on these and related topics, please visit my website at www.successandmindset.com

WHAT MENTAL OBSTACLES SHOULD YOU AVOID THIS YEAR?

As we begin this new year, most of us look to learn from the past, grow more, and avoid mistakes or tendencies which keep us stuck. Consistent with a mindset approach, individuals who experience more success tend to be able to avoid or successfully dispute troubling thoughts and beliefs. I recently ran across an article I had read years ago by Mara Gold on mental roadblocks to avoid. I am indebted to her for some of the thoughts in what follows. By the way, unhelpful mindsets not only hold us back but set the stage for stressful reactions to life’s situations. If you want to learn more about stress management, please read our book (I Can’t Take It Anymore: How to Manage Stress so It Doesn’t Manage You; Paul G. Longobardi, Ph.D., and Janice B. Longobardi, R.N., B.S.N., P.H.N.), available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1542458056. For more information about the book, authors, and stress, please visit our website at www.manageyourhealthandstress.com.

Successful people think differently. They see problems as opportunities and know how to leap over obstacles today to successes tomorrow. Often we have to stop stepping on our own toes and find ways to adopt the success mindset that can help us get through the challenging times. Here are some mindsets and mental obstacles you would be wise to avoid if you want to create more successful outcomes:

Blaming the Situation Some of us will always be stuck because we think that the situation has to change before we begin working toward our life goals. One year it is your beat up car with the missing window, the next year it is the economy. There always is another excuse why you do not get started working on your goals and dreams. Unfortunately, complaining about the situation not only gives us an excuse not to work on our dreams but also it creates a vibration that continues to attract these undesirable conditions and root us in failure. Set your mind to making the changes you can that lead you in the direction of your dreams, no matter what is going on around you, and you will attract more solutions. You may not see the solution at first. However, if you are looking and expecting to find a solution you can begin working on, you will see that a success mindset attracts success.

Blaming the Feedback Some of us become stuck because we cannot process and respond to the feedback we receive. If I were to hear that my work is below par I might strike back with excuses and arguments against the feedback or the person who provided the feedback. Like students who blame the test for their failure, we hold ourselves back. Worse than that, we make enemies of those who might help us, who may not give valuable feedback so easily again. People who want to succeed ask for feedback so they can make improvements. Receive feedback gratefully, even when you do not agree, so that others are not afraid to offer advice you might do well to heed. After all, if the feedback does not resonate with you, you can discard it. However, at least hear it with an open mind.

Blaming the Messenger and the Past People who have abdicated responsibility for their life choices can become locked into a mindset where they believe their lives are programmed for failure. They may blame the messages they received in their childhood or a bad marriage for the negative mindset they allow to dominate their outlook. Those with the success mindset do not respond with defeat when faced with a problem. They write and speak the words that will drown out the old programs from the past. They stay focused on their goals and work for their success. They surround themselves with positive messages and embrace friendships and activities that strengthen their well being.

You can stop blaming and start living a more happy and successful life. You can adopt the success mindset that allows people to confront adversity without fear and see through to success. If you keep blaming your situation, the feedback you receive, or the messages you hear for the life you are leading, you risk remaining stuck where you are.

As always, Change your thoughts, Change your life. Good luck on your journey.

Dr. Paul Longobardi

For information on these and related topics, please visit my website at www.successandmindset.com

TAKE MORE TIME OFF AND BE MORE PRODUCTIVE!

Did he really just say that? Well, yes I did. I realize that it might seem odd to put references to productivity and taking time off in the same title. However, if you want yourself to remain sharp and focused, you are well advised to consider doing this.  Have you ever found that you do much more work the few days before a holiday?  Have you found that you solve big problems more easily when you are in relaxed state away from the office?   It’s very likely that you have disconnected from work and have more energy and engagement when back at work.  But you say “I can’t take a vacation, I have too much to do; I’m stressed”. Well, these are exactly why you should be building in some time off. For more information about your own stress management, please see our book (I Can’t Take It Anymore: How to Manage Stress so It Doesn’t Manage You; Paul G. Longobardi, Ph.D., and Janice B. Longobardi, R.N., B.S.N., P.H.N.), available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1542458056. For information about the book, authors, and stress management, please visit our website at www.manageyourhealthandstress.com. For now, here are four main reasons why not taking time off will cost thousands to your organization in lost productivity by you:

Stress related illnesses

Medical/psychological problems including depression and substance abuse

Increased absenteeism secondary to the above

Increased turnover secondary to the above

Why is this so?  Research has demonstrated that people who do not disconnect from work suffer increased levels of exhaustion.  People who do disconnect recover from job/work stress and have increased engagement levels when back at work.  What if you are a professional?  You have even more of a need to take time off.  The work of professionals involves much thinking and learning, the very activities which consume considerable brain energy.  If you don't build in periods of recovery you will reach a point of mental exhaustion, frequently referred to as burnout.   What if you cannot take time off and enjoy a holiday?  Well here are some ideas:

Select other activities during the week on breaks, after work, or on weekends:

Disconnect completely from work when the work is done.

Exercise or do a hobby that you like.

Take some small work breaks during the day, e.g. take a short walk, meditate briefly, and listen to music.

On daily breaks or weekends, choose more engaging activities such as hobbies, reading, socializing, or exercise. This is in contrast to passive activities such as sitting in front of computers or television. These are easy to implement and work great.  One reason to do so is to reduce burnout and stress. A second reason to take more time off to be productive is to help clear out your mental clutter. If your limiting thoughts get in the way (e.g. "I don't need time away, that's weak or lack of dedication"), then consider changing those thoughts or getting the help to do so.

Take more time out for you. Good luck on your journey.

Dr. Paul Longobardi

For other information about these and related topics, please see my website at www.successandmindset.com.    

ARE YOU SUFFERING FROM SLEEP DEPRIVATION?

Sleep problems stay in the news. This in itself is not news.  Estimates are that 30% of adults, an estimated 83 million people, report trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. Eighty percent of U.S. adults reported trouble sleeping at least one night per week according to a recent nationally representative Consumer Reports survey of 1767 people.  We spent an estimated $41 billion on sleep aids and remedies in 2015 as well.  While there is no definitive answer as to how much sleep any one person needs, sleep experts tell us we need enough sleep to stay awake and alert the next day without caffeine.  For most of us, we don't function well with less than seven hours.  With continued sleep shortages, you can harm your health through depression, heart disease, obesity, and Type 2 diabetes. Sleep deprivation contributes to injuries on the job and motor vehicle accidents.  Not surprisingly, stressors in our lives contribute to sleep difficulties. We discuss these in our book on stress management (I Can’t Take It Anymore: How to Manage Stress so It Doesn’t Manage You; Paul G. Longobardi, Ph.D., and Janice B. Longobardi, R.N., B.S.N., P.H.N.), available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1542458056. If you want to know more about the authors, book, and stress management, please visit our website at www.manageyourhealthandstress.com . Of course, the most frequently prescribed aids are sleeping pills and I will not be discussing these in this post. Rather, there are several sleep issues of a non-pharmacological type discussed recently.  In an article in the Monitor on Psychology for February 2016 titled "Young and sleep deprived" by Karen Weintraub, she reported research indicating that adolescents need 8-10  hours per night but on average get less than seven hours a night.  Adolescents go to sleep later than older adults but have to get up early for school systems which not infrequently start at 7:30 or 8 AM. This interferes with their normal metabolism.   Moving start times for school has been shown to help with increased attendance rates, decreased disciplinary action, improvement in academic performance, decreased sleeping during class, and increased attention.  These are significant factors related to the well being of our youth.  There appears much research to support the recommendation to push back school start times by as much as 75 minutes.  The message appears clear that the later the start time, the more positive outcomes occur.  Note that all this occurs without any pharmacological sleep aids. For adults who would like to sleep better and reduce reliance on pharmacological aids, there is Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I), a form of behavioral treatment that focuses on changing habits that disrupt sleep.  The treatment was mentioned prominently in a discussion of sleep issues in the March 2019 issue of Consumer Reports magazine, titled "Sick and tired . . .".  There also is a review of CBT-I in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine in 2015 indicating that the treatment helped people sleep on average 26 more minutes per night and reduce their need for medications.  It also was noted that the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommended CBT-I over sleep medications as a treatment of first choice for chronic insomnia.  I have been using CBT-I principles for many years for referred patients with insomnia.  Of course, I always recommend that you consult first with your primary physician to rule out any physical causes of your insomnia. So what is involved in CBT-I?   As mentioned, CBT-I  has a goal to improve sleep habits and behaviors. It is a short term treatment, averaging six sessions. The cognitive part of CBT-I teaches you to identify and modify beliefs that affect your ability to sleep. For example, this may include learning how to control or eliminate negative thoughts and worries that keep you awake. The behavioral part of CBT-I helps you develop good sleep habits and avoid behaviors that keep you from sleeping well. There are various techniques some or all of which you may need depending on your condition. These include: 

1.  Stimulus Control Therapy. This is a technique I have used frequently.  This method helps remove factors that condition the mind to resist sleep. For example, you might need to set a consistent bedtime and wake time and avoid naps, use the bed only for sleep and sex, and leave the bedroom if you can't go to sleep within 20 minutes, only returning when you're sleepy.  You need to be very motivated for this one but it will help you get better control of the sleep/wake cycle.  I remember one patient who got up 25 (!) times the first night after not falling asleep within 20 minutes.  That was the highest number I ever saw but improvement for the patient came rapidly over the next week.

2.  Sleep Restriction. Lying in bed when you're awake can become a habit that leads to poor sleep. This technique decreases the time you spend in bed, causing partial sleep deprivation, which makes you more tired the next night. Once your sleep has improved, your time in bed is gradually increased.  The trick here is not to take naps the next day as your progress then is completely undermined.

3.  Sleep Hygiene. This method of therapy involves changing basic lifestyle habits that influence sleep, such as smoking or drinking too much caffeine late in the day, drinking too much alcohol, or not getting regular exercise. It also includes tips that help you sleep better, such as ways to decrease your activities an hour or two before bedtime.

4. Sleep Environment.  These are ways you create an improved sleep environment, such as keeping your bedroom quiet, dark and cool, not having a TV in the bedroom, and hiding the clock from view.  You also may need to stow away your cell phone or laptop to minimize interruptions.  The light they emit also is known to interfere with sleep.

5. Relaxation Training. This method helps you calm your mind and body. Approaches include meditation, imagery, progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) and others.  I have written in other posts about such techniques as they reduce stress reactions and they can be very helpful here as well.  I have used PMR extensively in assisting with sleep improvement often in combination with the other techniques above.

6.  Biofeedback. This method allows you to notice physiological signs such as heart rate and muscle tension and shows you how to change them. Some sleep specialists may have you take a biofeedback device home to record your daily patterns.

7.  Paradoxical Intention. Paradoxical intention, courtesy of famous therapist Victor Frankl,  involves avoiding any effort to fall asleep. In fact, it really involves trying to stay awake.  Have you ever been somewhere, maybe even a meeting, where you are worrying that you need to stay awake but continue to fall asleep?  Paradoxically, worrying that you can't sleep can actually keep you awake. Letting go of this worry can help you relax and make it easier to fall asleep.

Whatever method or strategies you employ, good sleep is critical to your health, productivity, and well being.  Per the research with adolescents, adjust your sleep cycle depending on whether you are an early or late riser so as to get enough sleep.  Also, consider cognitive behavioral strategies as a first treatment for insomnia before resorting to medications.  You may be amazed at the power you have over this process.

As always, change your thoughts and change your results.  Sleep well my friends.

Dr. Paul Longobardi

For information on these and related topics, please see my website at www.successandmindset.com.

FIVE TIPS ON MAINTAINING A POSITIVE MINDSET IN THE NEW YEAR

We all intend to keep positive and frequently make New Year's resolutions to do.  Like so many other resolutions, we often have no specific idea how to do what we resolve and no plan as well.  This often leads to needless stress and frustration.  To help you reduce your stress and maintain your most positive mindset in this new year, see below for five tips which will help you if you implement them.   We discuss all these and more in our book (I Can't Take It Anymore: How to Manage Stress so It Doesn't Manage You; Paul G. Longobardi, Ph.D., and Janice B. Longobardi, R.N., B.S.N., P.H.N.) available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1542458056

If you would like more information about the book and the authors, please visit our website at   http://www.manageyourhealthandstress.com Help yourself and your loved ones get off to a great start to the new year and consider acquiring the book.  Here are the tips:

1.       Be grateful for what you do have.  Even when you are going through challenges, there are many things for which you can be grateful.  Take several minutes at the start and end of each day to recognize those things. Doing so actually stimulates areas of your brain facilitating positive emotions.

2.      Understand and accept that you will have challenges, everyone does.   Treat the challenge as specific (not general), unstable (doesn’t always happen) and external (not internal and a reflection of your deficiencies).

3.      Surround yourself with positive people.  The people you have around you have a big impact on you in terms of how you see yourself, how successful you are, and how you spend your time.  If all you hear is negativity that is what you will come to think.  Make a conscious effort to be around more positive people. If the positive people are not in your home, find some others.

4.      Have a clear plan for your day and week.  As the old saying goes, “If you don’t know what route to take to Rome, any one will do but you won’t get there”.  The same is true for your life.  If you know what you want to accomplish, you will focus more on those goals.  Daily plans lead to weekly goals and you will accomplish more.

5.      Have an exercise plan.  It is well known that regular exercise contributes to mental health as well as physical health.  It combats depression and improves your mood.  Build this activity into your daily routine, preferably in the morning. 

     So, I suggest you start by implementing one tip per week over the next five weeks and then incorporate them into your daily routine.  Good luck.  Remember, change your thoughts, change your results. 

Good luck on your journey and Happy New Year!

Dr. Paul Longobardi

For more information on these and related topics, please see my website at www.successandmindset.com

WHAT CAN NEUROSCIENCE TELL US ABOUT GOAL SETTING FOR THE NEW YEAR?

Well, it's that time of year again.  Many of us are setting new goals for ourselves.  Why is it that so often we neither persist with nor achieve them?  Alas, out of the few people who do set goals, most don't take goal setting seriously, don't do it scientifically, and do it only once each year.  In all my work with coaching clients and patients, I always emphasize and teach goal setting and mindset change first.  Only then do I deal with issues of problem solving, decision making, time management, or any other area.  Until your specialized knowledge area is combined with goals and mindset, your knowledge will not allow you to accomplish much or maintain any changes made for very long.  You will feel anxious, frustrated, and stressed. We discuss these issues in our book (I Can’t Take It Anymore; How to Manage Stress so It Doesn’t Manage You; Paul G. Longobardi, Ph.D.,and Janice B. Longobardi, R.N., B.S.N., P.H.N.), available on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1542458056. For more information about the authors, book, and related information on stress, please visit our website at www.manageyourhealthandstress.com.

So what can neuroscience tell us about goal setting?  

1.  Repetition is a good way to embed a goal in your non-conscious mind.  I've always been told that "repetition is the mother of all learning".  However, it's also true for goal setting as well.  It turns out that neuroimaging of the brain shows us that initially setting a goal is a conscious activity.  However, it is in the non-conscious mind areas that behaviors become consolidated to the point of being unconscious and automatic, what we know as habits.  In fact, becoming unconsciously competent is a cornerstone of success for many people, and occurs through repetition.  New neural patterns form only after they've been repeated enough times.  If you make resolutions and don't continue to repeat and reinforce your desire for these goals, then no new neural connections are made and no new habits occur.  The best example of this is the frequent resolution by people to lose weight in the new year.  The goal is not repeated regularly and does not strengthen in the brain.  It also is true that 21-30 days are needed to consolidate a new habit on a neurological basis.  When you repeat your goals again and again, programming occurs in the subconscious mind.  You are best advised to rewrite your goals daily, think about them positively, repeat them, and visualize them occurring.  You can't force this.  It needs to be a process of creating new patterns of thinking and visualizing, as well as clearing away self doubts (mindset issue). So, it's not the resolution that you set once but the thoughts and visual images you focus on all day that create your new long term behavioral change by making the behaviors unconscious and automatic, i.e. a habit.

2.  Use emotion to create energy for your goal.  The strength and number of neural connections associated with a thought or behavior increase when you're in an emotional state. Unfortunately, too often this process occurs for negative thoughts and behaviors reinforcing avoidance and escape.  But it can work as well for positive thoughts and behaviors. Neuroimaging findings indicate that neural connections are stronger when formed with high emotion.  This also is why many "casually" formed resolutions fail as they are set with no emotion.  You're prone to become ambivalent, uncertain, and intermittent in carrying out your goal, particularly at the first obstacle.  Do not take goal setting lightly or casually.  Whatever your goal is, it's about your life and that's important. We know you can rewire your brain.  All the research in brain plasticity tells us so.  

3.  Take your goal setting seriously.  Rewrite goals daily.  Think about them constantly. Visualize yourself accomplishing them.  Then take massive action to accomplish them and soon your behaviors will become automatic.

But for now, make this the most successful year of your life.  

Dr. Paul Longobardi

For additional information on these and related topics, please visit my website at www.successandmindset.com.

SHOULD YOU SCHEDULE YOUR SUCCESS FOR THE COMING NEW YEAR?

Well, the New Year is soon upon us and we'll be inundated with talk of resolutions, even though most resolutions are discarded within the first month of the new year.  Why is it that some of what we think of as our best intentions do not happen? What are a few thoughts as to how you can make your goals become a reality for you?  One strategy is to schedule your success. 

I have spent weekend days saying how much I will get done and then find that I spent the time reading the newspaper, checking Facebook, going for a walk, until the day is gone.  I thought that I had made a decision to get some work done.  Alas, neuroscience tells us (and me!) that there is an illusory quality to the concept of "decision making".  It is only an abstract object in our minds. As such, I never really experience the "weekend" but rather one moment after another.  In each moment, I never directed myself behaviorally to take action.  Other actions, as noted above, took precedence, were more comfortable, presented less resistance to me. Often, this results in feeling anxious, stressed, and frustrated. We discuss these issues at length in our book (I Can’t Take It Anymore: How to Manage Stress so It Doesn’t Manage You; Paul G. Longobardi, Ph.D., and Janice B. Longobardi, R.N., B.S.N., P.H.N.), available for purchase on Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/1542458056. If you want more information about the authors, book, and other information related to stress, please visit our website at www.manageyourhealthandstress.com

So when are we the most productive and follow through the most with our intentions?  It is during those times which are scheduled.  When you act based on a schedule, there is nothing better than the desired action.  If I exercise at 7 AM every day, I don't have to think about what should I do or when should I do it.  If you compare this to an intention to "exercise tomorrow", there is all manner of activity in which I can engage, e.g. drinking another cup of coffee, watching the TV news, etc. giving me resistance to my intention to exercise.  When we think about decision making, note that if we have not created a clear, defined, and strong behavioral pattern to perform an action, it does not occur.  This is particularly true when our intended action goes up against well developed patterns of coffee drinking, reading the newspaper, watching TV, etc.  If you want to do a certain act, don't worry about "self discipline" or motivation.  Schedule the act specifically, condition yourself to do it without fail, and after 21 days minimum it will become a habit like so many others we have.

I'm sure you've heard how most people spend more time planning and scheduling their vacation than other areas of their lives such as careers, family, finances, etc.  You don't have to become a "time nut" to schedule your success.  Just pick one or two goal areas important to you, perhaps exercise or improving your financial knowledge, and schedule regular times to do the activity.  The time does not have to be excessive.  In the examples I just gave, starting with 15 minutes a day per activity would be great if you're currently at zero time.  Just schedule it and stay with it for three weeks, you're on your way.

Best wishes for your scheduled success.

Dr. Paul Longobardi

For information on these and related topics, please see my website at www.successandmindset.com