Stress Reduction Blogs

1. Make beauty rest a priority. A new study from researchers at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden published in the prestigious British Medical Journal showed that when given a choice, people thought individuals with more sleep looked attractive!

 2. Develop a skin care ritual before bedtime. There is research to suggest…

Gwyneth Paltrow, who recently looked  stunning at the Academy Awards alongside Robert Downy Jr. as they presented the award for Best Documentary, told interviewers that she “looks like she has been hit by a truck” after just a single night of bad sleep. Here are a few surprising ways that lack…

The Stress Tracker mobile app, developed by clinical psychologists, provides an effective tool that helps individuals track and reduce stress, and the tool is right at their fingertips at all times! The Stress Tracker app engages users, causing them to be mindful of their stress and providing them with tools and…

1. Stress can speed up aging. Although wrinkles are part of the aging process, stress can speed up the process of aging through excess inflammation.   2. Stress Can Lead to Acne. When stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenalin are elevated, our sebaceous (oil) glands produce excess oil. This…

    Stress Relief: The Science Behind Routine, Consistency, and     Discipline In a recent blog on sleep, happiness guru Gretchen Rubin points out that we give   children set bedtimes, so why don’t adults give themselves bedtimes? And why don’t adults hold themselves accountable and develop discipline when it is time…

Establishing a regular regimen of exercise is an important component of managing stress. Over the past two years, I have taken up Kettle Bell training at my local gym. It is a great way to strengthen your core muscles. As you strengthen your core muscles, the alignment of your spine will…

I recently took a ballet class after a long hiatus. Afterwards, I was so relaxed, and I wondered whether it was the exercise or the stretching that made me feel so calm. It was probably a combination of both! I began researching the effects of posture, poise and stretching on stress…

The Implications of Bad Posture for Stress Management   You may be wondering what posture has to do with stress management. Well, it turns out that it has more to do with stress relief than you might think.   When a person is stressed out or fatigued, he or she will…

In a New York Times article by Katherine Bouton, a longevity study that spanned 80 years revealed that the best childhood personality predictor of longevity was conscientiousness.   After reading The Longevity Project, the author took a casual survey of friends and relatives asking them what personality characteristic they thought were…

When it comes to stress relief and mood, we should remember that the decor, layout, and design of our homes and workspaces have a profound affect on our thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Architecture, color, lighting, windows and greenery can calming, restorative, or energizing effects. This blog will focus on color, lighting,…

An antidote to Stress This simple mineral “is an antidote to stress, the most powerful relaxation mineral available, and it can help improve your sleep,” says acclaimed metabolism expert and functional medicine doctor Mark Hyman. The mineral in question? Magnesium. Dr. Hyman calls magnesium the most powerful relaxation mineral available….

Over the past week I have been reading the work of Michael Gelb, author of Brain Power: Improve Your Mind As You Age. There are several principles in this book that are very helpful for stress relief and anxiety.   At the top of that list is the idea that we…

We all know that sleeping well, eating a healthy diet and getting regular exercise helps to manage and relieve stress. But our mental attitudes can greatly determine how our bodies respond to stress.   Stress Relief: The Science Behind Gratitude In the findings of the Research Project on Gratitude and Thankfulness,…

In a recent study, minor dehydration (about 1-2% below optimal levels) was a factor in headaches, energy levels, stress levels, mood and cognitive function. For more on the study, see: http://healthland.time.com/2012/01/19/bad-mood-low-energy-there-might-be-a-simple-explanation/ What is most striking about this study is that the women were mildly — not severely – dehydrated. Their water…

7 Foods that Fight the Stress Response 1. Oily Fish The brain is 60% fat, so it is crucial to supply the brain with healthy fats, particularly omega 3 fatty acids. Many studies have linked a lack of omega-3 fatty acids to anxiety, elevated stress levels and depression. Also, instances of…

  According to a recent study from Yale University, researchers found that extremely stressful events in life – such as a death, divorce, or the loss of a home – can shrink the brain, reducing grey matter in regions linked to emotion and other physiological functions.   People had gone through…

We are so used to thinking of stress only in a negative context: words such as “overwhelmed,” “stressed out,” or “anxious” come to mind. However, stress is neither inherently good nor inherently bad. In fact, it is how you deal with stress that determines whether it is positive or negative. The…

We know that when we are stressed, the sympathetic nervous system is activated in a “flight-or-flight” response. But what happens when this response is activated day after day, even when there is no imminent danger? This is called chronic stress, the type that is linked to heart disease, impaired immune system,…

  It is January 6th, and some of us may already be discouraged, having already “broken” our New Year’s Resolutions. We have the best of intentions: exercise 3 times a week, eat healthier, get your finances in order, spend more time with your spouse.   And then you are back…

The English poet Alexander Pope once said,  “To err is human, to forgive is divine.” I agree!   According to Fred Luskin, the author of Forgive for Good, forgiveness boosts the immune system, improves sleep, reduces anxiety and depression, and lowers blood pressure.   In short, bitterness and/or unforgiveness is poisonous….

Many of you may be more sensitive to light than you realize, and your mood, sleep patterns and stress levels may reflect it. If you find yourself feeling fatigued, stressed, or constantly craving simple carbohydrates (like pastries or cinnamon rolls), and these symptoms tend to come out at the onset of…

  As I mentioned in my Thanksgiving post, I do not exercise enough. In fact, I have rarely exercised at all over the last few months. Knowing the benefits of exercise has been key to motivating me to do something.   Over the last few weeks, I started jogging for…

One of the most stressful aspects of the holiday season can be the task of shopping. It can be overwhelming when you look at your list and think of the many family members, friends and colleagues you need to buy for. In order to make it less stressful, here are…

  I am someone who is particularly prone to the negative side effects of stress. I have experienced a range of symptoms, from hair loss to general anxiety. With the end of Thanksgiving and the approach of Christmas and New Year’s, I am determined to manage my stress levels more…

If, in the beginning, your job seems perfect, the solution to all your problems, you have high hopes and expectations, and would rather work than do anything else, be wary. You’re a candidate for the most insidious and tragic kind of job stress– burnout, a state of physical, emotional, and…

Lately I’ve been feeling pretty calm in the face of difficult situations for me- I was late to several important meetings, meeting someone new in a completely new place for me, standing up to the ex-husband, looking at my dwindling finances. These are not new things that place stress on me,…

I have a therapist that I see once a month, and I can’t say enough about having someone who is ‘outside my loop’ that will listen to my fears, concerns and plans and can see them objectively without the emotions I’ve attached to them. It seems that when I get a…

Searching in a pile of papers for a label for a box due to go out, discovering a piece of paper that should get mailed and realizing I need to find another piece of paper that gets sent with it or the first is worthless, searching for the overdue library books…My…

I’m willing to bet that all children at some point before they reached the age of 13 thought to themselves, “It will be great once I get out of school, because then I will never have to do homework again.”As you grow older and you realize that different professions require different…

Does anyone else out there tend to over-book themselves? I do it constantly.  Problem is, it’s not always with work-related tasks.  I over-book social commitments as well.  For example, a month ago, I told a friend who was coming in from out-of-town that I’d go to dinner with her two of…

This can be counted as Part II of my “Road Rage” blogs, even though I had no intention of following up my previous blog entry “Traffic Jam When You’re Already Late”.  Of course, though, I ran into the angry typical Massachusetts driver I spoke about in the aforementioned article.I wasn’t even…

My career revolves around technology. I am a video editor and as such, I work on a computer no less than 9 hours per day.  Gone are the days of tape to tape editing so every little thing about post-production, from start to finish, is done in the box.  When the…

Ever notice that as soon as you’ve paid off some bills and might actually be able to start saving a few pennies that other things begin to fall apart?   I’m pretty sure my car can sense when I’m starting to get my financial footing.  I was finally able to put…

Living in Boston, one of the biggest causes of stress, provided you have a car, is traffic.  If you don’t have a car, it’s still a big issue for you.  Boston has some of the worst traffic in the world, and probably some of the worst drivers.This is coming from someone…

For those of you living in the Boston area, I highly recommend The Inman Oasis in Cambridge for all of your relaxation needs.  They have massage therapy as well as wonderful hot tubs you can soak in while listening to soothing music.  Also, they frequently have deals with Groupon so you…

My ex husband woke me this morning with a phone call.He’s stationed at an airbase in south Japan. He wanted to let me and the boys know that he was okay and that he’d be there for the duration of his assignment (about 1 1/2 more years). I was glad to…

Again, today, I am dealing with outright discrimination.  Usually it is more subtle, masked and harder to spot.  But sometimes it just comes right out and stares me in the face, completely undeniable.  Which is actually helpful, and preferable, because they I can name it, and try not to internalize something…

At first I didn’t get the difference but once I thought about it for a second it was so clear to me.  Taking a time management class this concept was so important.  In our society we always feel like we have to be doing; rushing to work, being “productive”, doing three…

In highschool, I prided myself on being able to do my homework on the computer, while chatting on IM with no less than 5 friends as Late Night with Conan O’Brien or some other late show played on the tv in the background. Today, at work, I’ll typically have at least…

On the site today I found the Daily Stress Relief Tip: Prioritization is the first step of stress management.  This speaks directly to my biggest struggles of late.  Figuring out where to focus my energy and what to let go of is an essential piece to my personal stress management. Daily…

Schedules and routines: love ’em or hate ’em?As a child of a family of seven kids, I grew up with schedules and routines. They helped to streamline the ordinaries of daily living: who was supposed to be setting the table which night, when each child was supposed to be brushing their…

I have been passionate about offering an alternative to traditional psychology since 1975 when I became aware of the power imbalance between physicians and patients and between psychotherapists and clients. Too many times, the doctor had an opinion and told the patient what was wrong. Sometimes the doctor was correct and sometimes not. …

Late on Saturday, my grandmother fell and broke her hip.  She is old, frail and in poor health.  At 91, she has had an amazing life.  She is not healthy enough for surgery.  But at the same time, she must have surgery in order to relieve the pain and to ever…

While there never seems to be enough time to get to everything, I really appreciate days, such as today, when I feel that I am able to find a bit of a balance.  Today included a slow, easy, restful morning followed by a short spurt of cleaning.  Then I made it…

After recovering from a bad stomach bug, I am finally feeling like a human again.  Now I need to get myself back on track!  I had been working so hard to eat better, exercise more and stay on top of my responsibilities, all in an effort to stay healthy and lower…

Maybe, maybe not… but I wasn’t around for a good portion of this week.Stress hit me BIG TIME. My car, which failed inspection in February, had (major) repairs done… and never made ir back to the inspection station because it needed more repairs. I was carless for three days – not…

Studies have shown that music helps people think better.  In fact, in the early ’90’s, one researcher concluded that if someone listened to Mozart, their I.Q. would increase by 9 points.It’s also common knowledge that laughter usually reduces stress.  At least I’ve found out the latter fact myself one time when…

  If, in the beginning, your job seems perfect, the solution to all your problems, you have high hopes and expectations, and would rather work than do anything else, be wary. You’re a candidate for the most insidious and tragic kind of job stress– burnout, a state of physical, emotional, and…

Their is something in the air.  The smell of spring just around the corner.  The smell of hope, change, of opportunity for rising above some of the stress. Things are ever changing, ever moving forward.  Whether we want them to or not.  Life is evolving, and with those changes their is…

Love…….oh we all want it.  Having that person to call your own, to share your thoughts and feelings with.  That person to hug/cuddle/ just be close to.   Someone to write you love notes with cute little hearts on top of the “i” and draw you a bath while you drink…

I’m sick.  Again.  It seems to be almost constant.  If it’s not a cold (which inevitably turns into bronchitis) it’s a stomach bug.  I don’t think I’ve ever had the “stomach bug” more than once in a year and now I’m on round three in less than three months!  And I’ll…

I hate to think of things this way, but there are people out there worse off than me.  Take my cousin, for instance.  She just lost her baby; trying to get pregnant for two years.  She was pregnant for three months and had a miscarriage.  She has been doing in vitro. …

It’s not that my family stresses me out; it’s that I miss them terribly because we live in three different states.  Soooooo I travel quite often since I’m the youngest and have no children.  BUT… none of us is willing to move closer for various reasons.  So how to deal with…

I’m just venting but here are some things that stress me out at work at my sales job on the North Shore. – looping people in- people asking to be looped in- people saying “net-net” – people who talk about food the entire day- people who go out and get starbucks…

I’ve found over the last year and a half that I have become a procrastinator.I wasn’t this way as a kid. I was one of those: “I have homework so I’ll get it out of the way so I can do MY thing.” Even in college I was more likely to…

I have extensively watched Charlie Sheen’s numerous videos and compiled some quotes : “Clearly I have defeated this earthworm with my words – imagine what I would have done with my fire-breathing fists. “”Bi-Polar. I’m bi-winning – I win here and I win there.”I’ve heard that he’s locked himself in his…

Hi, Bill and Beanpot here. I’d like to say while I have a true respect for the profession and academic field of Psychology…I can probably handle it. Do you have big problems in your life?  I could do cut-rate non-therapy in terms of just talking to folks and telling ’em ‘hey, I think…

So I had never experienced the art of spinning until about one month ago.  Not spinning wool but spinning on a bicycle (I still don’t really get why it is called spinning and not just cycling.)  I figured I would give it a try, hearing that it was a pretty good…

Laurent Wolf – No Stress (Official Music Video)So good. 17 million people can’t be wrong – but this song has been out for 2 years. I heard it on a mix CD that I found in my used car when I purchased it. It’s a Jeep Sahara. She has an earthy/funky…

“Stress is nothing more than a socially acceptable form of mental illness” – Richard Carlson Does anybody think that this quote is true? I think of stress as external. “If you ask what is the single most important key to longevity, I would have to say it is avoiding worry, stress and…

At this moment I feel that I am on hold.  I have seven weeks left until I finish school and I am so excited to start working in my new field.  But I can’t even start looking for a job until I know where I am going to be living.  And…

For the last three years, I have been in the process of recovering myself.I am divorced from a emotionally abusive man, who took away everything I thought I was and controlled most of my life. When I decided I needed to go, it took two years to get to the point…

Yesterday while driving to an appointment, someone quickly cut me off without warning or apology.  I wanted to scream and shout, which is my typical response, but instead I smiled sarcasticly.  I didn’t feel my blood pressure rise or my adrenaline pumping like I normally do, and it got me thinking…

As a married grad student with two part time jobs, I find that I am constantly pulled in so many directions!   This year has been great practice in my ability to prioritize, plan and make choices about where my time and energy goes.  I’ve had to work really hard to set…

You always hear about all the mental and emotional effects of stress, but not as much about the physical effects of stress.  When you think about this, you realize how important it is to be able to cope and deal with stress in your life.   I always focus on the mental and emotional effects…

So I decided to reduce my hours at a job that I have that TOTALLY stresses me out.  I havent notified them yet but am stressing out about it.  I know that this is what I NEED to do for myself for my own sanity. I just need to get up…

Both of my childern were home this last week for the February vacation. Thankfully it was pretty fun as I had a few ideas in mind for keeping us busy while still keeping it low key/low stress.Pretty much every other day we had an activity that took us out of the…

During stressful times, I frequently find myself laying in bed trying to fall asleep but thinking about the things that are causing me stress.  Luckily I usually fall asleep in time, but I wish I had an easy fix to avoid this.Not being able to sleep, known as insomnia, is common in today’s…

As an ADD adult, I’m frequently drifting off on tangents and when under stress, these thoughts tend towards the negative, and lead me into a downward spiral. In trying to stop these spirals, I stumbled upon Guided Imagery, sometimes called Purposeful Daydreaming. I adapted this technique of having someone guide…

I don’t know about you, but I have found that working in an office setting has it’s own set of stresses, but luckily in today’s day and age there are lots of office toys designed specifically to help you cope with that stress.  Kind of like venting, to an inanimate object! …

Have you ever practiced mindfulness?  It took me a while to “buy in” but once I gave it a shot, I found it to be such a great tool!  There are many understandings of mindfulness practice, including yoga, various types of mediation etc.  The way I learned it was through Marsha…

Just read a news report about a new study that has concluded that your emotional response may affect how your body reacts to stress.  Well, yeah!  That seems logical and I think we would all agree that if you are really nervous about something, your body will be affected and will…

Life can be crazy sometimes!  Life is also REALLY awesome!  But I am definitely leaning more towards the crazy part of life lately.  Just feeling out of sorts these days and I came to the realization last night that all of this negativity, unhappiness, stress I am feeling in many parts…

John Wooden is considered one of the greatest coaches, let alone basketball coaches, to have ever lived.  He set an NCAA record by winning 10 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championships from 1948-1975.  What’s even more amazing is the fact that he did this without ever swearing or losing his temper.  Since his…