Last posts on stress

Like Nadia

2008-02-12T01:33:44+01:00

February 11, 2008:The not so old woman got nervous and said: Coming! Coming! in a loud, nervous voice. Why am I getting so nervous, she thought. This is how Nadia acted just before she died. I want to go there! I don't want to miss anything. Hurry! Hurry! She tripped and fell.

Stress Resilience Takes Work

2007-10-22T20:02:10+02:00

Researchers discover the ability to cope or deal with stress is linked to specific differences in the way brain cells communicate with each other.

In a novel research project, scientists learned that mice demonstrate the ability or inability to cope with stress when specific brain mechanisms facilitate communication between cells.

Understanding these mechanisms — which are also present in people — may aid scientists in developing methods for humans to boost resilience to stress and depression.

7% of U.S. Workforce Depressed

2007-10-14T22:27:58+02:00

According to a U.S. government agency, approximately 7 percent of full-time workers have had an episode of depression in the past year.

Childcare workers had some of the highest rates of depression, as well as those who care for senior citizens. Called “personal-care workers” by the government, this segment of the workforce suffered a 11% incidence of depression.

Bartenders, waiters, waitresses and cooks had the second-highest rate of depression according to the report, at just over 10%. Health-care and social workers were tied for third place in the report, at 9.6%.

The Mental Health News Blog

Mind-reading computers respond to users' moods

2007-10-08T00:22:18+02:00

Via Science Daily

Researchers at Tufts University are developing a system that allows to monitor user experiences while working. The system is based on functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) technology that uses light to monitor brain blood flow as a proxy for workload stress a user may experience when performing an increasingly difficult task to respond to users' thoughts of frustration or boredom.

New evaluation techniques that monitor user experiences while working with computers are increasingly necessary," said Robert Jacob, computer science professor and researcher. "One moment a user may be bored, and the next moment, the same user may be overwhelmed. Measuring mental workload, frustration and distraction is typically limited to qualitatively observing computer users or to administering surveys after completion of a task, potentially missing valuable insight into the users' changing experiences."

GENETIC DEPRESSION LIABILITY SHOWN AS NEGATIVE RESPONSE TO STRESSORS

2007-09-12T18:53:42+02:00

People who are genetically predisposed to depression tend toward negative affect when responding to minor, everyday stressors, say researchers.

Link:

http://www.psychiatrysource.com/NewsItem/Genetic-depression-liability-shown-as-negative-res.aspx?l1=3

New Alzheimer's findings: High stress and genetic risk factor lead to increased memory decline

2007-09-03T18:23:35+02:00

High stress levels may contribute to memory loss among people at risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease. The å4 variant of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene contributes to the risk for memory loss related to Alzheimer’s disease. Similarly, high...

More information at: http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/information/news/?EntryId=49452&p=2

Your Stress is our stress, too...

2007-06-11T07:05:00+02:00

I've read your blog.
Am glad to notice that we still have an important place in your heart. Though our words may have hurt you, you did it too, with your own. Not that I am trying to push the blame on you, but at times, you don't think, you act on how you felt. You gave in to your emotions and let them run over your brain and control your body without consiously knowing so.
Despite everything, I am really contended to know that you are aware of your own actions and thoughts, ESPECIALLY those that will harm yourself and get us all hurt by it. Please always remember that, you are not alone. You tend to take great likings to place yourself in your own world, a world which you think that you are at disadvantage. A world that you think that you are a victim of 'lost attentions/affections'. A world that you think that you lost all freedom, and all will to live on....
But you are not. That is just an illusion, a land of escapade which you drew yourself in. Amidst everything else that is revolving around you, you went in and out of that place. Mind you, however cruel it is to be living in REALITY, you are still going to live through it.
You have come thus far, but there's still a long long way ahead. Everyone else may come and go. We, unlike any others, are here to stay. The reason, I'm sure you know.
I would say that at this stage of your life, your studies are of utmost important. I am not saying that you have done nothing or attempted nothing at all in maintaining where you were. However, I think that you need to spend some time to re-prioritise your time and your priorities at this time of the year. It is just 6 more months before you move on to another level, another part of your life. You maybe able to join in a tertiary program, you may have to serve the nation. I, for one, would prefer that you fight for the opportunity to pursue your studies as it may be harder after a break of 2.5years if you are to serve the nation... you know what I mean, and you have seen it before, how I managed work, family and studies all at the same time. Or perhaps, you didn't notice that it was hard for me, too?

I know that you felt like the whole world weigh down on you, things don't work out, all these relationships came up with problems one after another... How about thinking of someone else who is much worse than you? There's always this saying that there is someone who is better than you (人外有人,天外有天), there is also someone who is much worse! No rush to solve ALL problems at once, take it one by one. Slowly, coz your efforts in resolving the issues will show.

Sacrifices hurts. But regrets cuts deeper. It is better to make some sacrifices now than to have regrets eating you away later. Think things through. I hate to say this but you do have to decide and make some sacrifices to ensure that you pave your own path as you set your foundation for your own future. We have gone through these many times before, you know what you want and what you need. It is fine to be selfish at times, as long as you are not doing it at the expense of others. You can always talk to us, especially mum. It may not seem obivous to you, but to me, she knows very little of what you are going through at this stage of life. You have not shared much with her. Trust me, she is a good advisor, though the way she's gonna say it may hurt you, but you must always remember that she is just trying to point out the cold hard facts that you may have wished to not acknowledge.

We have talked to her and even suggested to her to not delve into your BGR, hope it helps. But I hope that what I have commented to you previously on that issue is not forgotten.

Do check your gmail sometime... I think I will not post it up here for all to read as we go forward... I do have to watch what I say afterall... it's a public space!!

Current Online Reading

2007-04-13T03:05:00+02:00

I. Five Ideas for Stressful Living, at Everyday Wonderland, a short satirical piece that expands on these key principles:

Attempt to control absolutely everything, especially results and outcomes, people, and God
Believe in the possibility of 'making it,' of arriving somewhere in the future
Look for satisfaction out there
Emphasize yourself
Be more and have more: "At the core, all of the above ideas can be summed up in a single method: simply convince yourself that you need more than you have at any given moment, and you will be able to maintain a steady feeling of anxiety throughout the day. "

II. Inventiveness. Dave Pollard wrote an article in 2005 that I've bookmarked and returned to often. It's called Observations --> Opportunities and it's a short list of some out-of-the-box observations and ideas that popped up during 30 minutes of his observing one spot in downtown Toronto; they tickle and inspire me. A zoom lens/magnifying lens for everyday use, fitted to sunglasses, cellphones, mp3 players, to "extend our vision and increase our powers of observation." Cafe umbrellas ("delightful, inviting, chaotic") to brighten our spaces. Why aren't those sneakers with retractable wheels or rollers made for adults, "when wheels are just a more efficient way to move around (most of the time) than our high-friction feet?"

III. Personal Mission: Antony's and Henri Nouwen's might be "to be a witness to the glimpses of God I have been allowed to catch." Is that enough for any person of faith? What's your personal mission? Is it something you live your life by, something you consider when you speak, make choices, act, plan? Maybe Mary Oliver's line "My work is loving the world" (from Messenger) resonates for you? Or perhaps Wendell Berry's "It may be when we no longer know what to do, we have come to our real work"?

IV. Story-telling: Fact or fiction? American humour writer and performer David Sedaris is under mild attack for making up some of his supposedly non-fiction essays. Check out Slate's article yesterday, David Sedaris and His Defenders.

In that article, Jack Shafer says, "Sedaris has long insisted that his nonfiction stories are both true and exaggerated, which when you think about it is impossible."

Well, hardly. That's like saying that a cartoon caricature can't be true because it's exaggerated. Sometimes a caricature allows the viewer to see something about the original that wasn't obvious before an artist with an eye and an ability to express his vision 'drew it out' and revealed it to us. We recognise in a good caricature both the original and something more about the original than we had known before. Same with good humour writing.

I personally don't want Sedaris writing novels or short stories like Steve Martin and Woody Allen. Novels can certainly be 'true,' too, revealing much about human nature; but Sedaris's essays, based essentially on his life, his outlook, his experiences, his memories, his reflection about his own actions and internal responses, are what are so funny, touching, and ultimately revealing to me of my own motivations, contradictions, ambivalences, and of human nature in general.

Day 5.

2007-01-05T19:10:00+01:00

Well, I have kept my New Year's resolution up to now. Went up town today with my niece. We saved a fortune. lol She couldn't find what she wanted and I decided NOT to buy another digital camera. We had lunch, a nice healthy baked spud. (Spoilt I suppose by the butter!) We walked around in circles, in the fresh air, so that was healthy too. In fact, although we did a lot of nothing, it was nice. No rush, no stress......... lovely.

Hverdags liv

2006-12-04T18:05:00+01:00

I hverdagens stress er det viktig å ikke bare leve, uten å virkelig leve. Ikke leve i stresset som så lett kan oppta oss. Men gripe hverdag.
Leve som om vi ikke har lang tid igjen, men samtidig leve som om vi skal leve lenge. Vi vet aldri hvor lang tid vi egentlig har.
Det er viktig å prioritere det som er viktig, og nedprioritere andre ting som ikke er så viktig. Tenke hva er viktigst, for eksempel å ha ett stort og fancy hus, og jobbe en del ekstra, eller bruke den ekstra tiden på familien og ha ett mer ”vandlig” hus.
Det er som regel de små tingene som gjør livet godt å leve. Som for eksempel det å bruke tid med venner og familie, ha gode samtaler, middager eller bare se en film. Det er ikke nødvendigvis ting som koster mye penger som betyr noe.
Det er også viktig å prioritere hverandre. Dele byrder, men også dele gleder. Løfte hverandre opp. Være til velsignelse for hverandre. Det går som regel begge veier. Man er en velsignelse for noen, og de er en velsignelse for deg.
Det er viktig å se hvor stor påvirkningskraft vi faktisk har på hverandre. Vi har makten til å forandre hverandres liv. Det er viktig å tenke over hva vi gjør med den makten…

To all my English readers, I will translate this later and post it here, until the, learn Norwegian! :)

Relationship help

2006-10-05T15:39:27+02:00

Lately, my husband and I are never on the same page at the same time. We both work crazy hours and are wrapped up in our stresses sometimes. I try, very hard, to be open to what is going on in his world. I also try to be involved in it. He doesn't always let me, and so I retreat back to my own world. We don't seem to be as connected as we once were. I know that we need some relationship help, but I'm not ready to reach out to a counselor yet. I know that if we just make a point of freeing up some time to devote to one another and "us", that we can get a great deal of relationship help from bonding again. In fact, I made reservations for a weekend beach escape for us this month. I think that will provide a great amount of relationship help to us. If that doesn't help, I will then be willing to reach out for some professional relationship help before I continue to move forward feeling like I'm alone.Many couples feel my pain. In fact, I am willing to bet that the majority of relationships out there have not experienced a time when they needed some relationship help. Granted, many couples are able to intervene and figure things out for themselves. Others, don't want any relationship help, they want a permanent exit. Divorces aren't a big deal anymore these days. Why? Because people aren't willing to seek relationship help. They just want to find the nearest exit door. I didn't get married to get divorced. I vowed for better or worse and I'm still sticking to that. Every marriage or relationship finds some rough patches. That's perfectly normal. When you are having issues getting past that patch and aren't sure how to proceed, you may want to get some relationship help. That doesn't necessarily mean marriage counseling. The best relationship help is communication. Sitting down and telling your partner how you feel and what you want to fix, is the best place to start. By being able to communicate, even if you still don't know what to do about your rough patches, can open up many doors. Listening to each other's needs and feelings can aid the partner in seeing things differently. A new door may be opened that never even existed. A vacation or any time away from your normal environment may be a great means of relationship help. This will remove both of you from everyday stress and distractions and let you focus on one another. Hopefully, the environment will be more relaxing and both partners will feel that relaxation. When people are calmer and more relaxed, their guards are down and more can be accomplished. It can be an excellent time to reconnect.If you are in serious need of relationship help, reach out to a marriage counselor. They may be able to help you save your commitment.

Wedding Blues

2006-09-27T18:00:00+02:00

Okay, it's not me. I'm not the one getting married... not yet. It's my sister. But the thing is, I feel so useless for not being able to help her out. I am like, hello, so totally incapable of doing anything worthy.

And it so happened that last night I dreamt about my sister's wedding. The garden was daintily decorated and all our relatives were there. I saw that everyone's happy and they're& so anticipating my sister's entrance. After she marched down the aisle, I likewise made my equally stunning entrance. But abruptly, as soon as the guests saw me arrived, they all rose to leave. What the heck?!!! I woke up with a f*&^%&d up feeling. And realized that I am having a little fever. Was it just a dream or mere hallucination?

Ironically, when I logged in tonight, I saw that my sister left some offline messages in messenger. She mentioned something like she wished am home to help her out. She's so stressed out. There's just so much to prepare with so little time.

I cried and felt sorry after reading her messages. That's the least I could do for now.

*bridal gown courtesy of Monique Lhuillier 2006 collection

Packing my bags

2005-08-29T15:35:00+02:00

Life has not been great lately. I was really busy. I had too much at hand which I think was really absurd. Especially after I broke up with him.

I know that we would never be together again, knowing the fact that we are totally 2 different people. I just cant see myself with him in a long period of time.

Work has been busy as usual. More busy in fact. I had some issues with my clients as well as my bosses. I felt like quitting in an instance. But thinking what my mum said about my family financial problems, I have to be patient a bit longer.

The post I have been waiting for is up now online. Yeap, MAS cabin crew. Crazy? Yes. I just feel that I need to do something different now. I don’t know whether it’s the right thing. And I’m not too sure whether it’s the wrong thing either. So, why not? The open interview will be this Saturday and by damn I’m going to be there.

As for my current job, I’m quitting for sure by this end of the month. They have offered me to be a junior producer there but I just don’t feel like staying there at all. I just want to leave the company. I don’t like the vibe. It’s making me crazy. And the some of the people there aren’t helping either. I feel alienated almost all the time. I have no close friend and I don’t think I can trust anybody there.

Shit! I feel so alone now. The truth is, I still miss him but I just cant be with him. Like it or not, the break up is the best thing that should happen. He’s like my 2nd mum which I think it’s too much. Enough that I have my mum to handle, I don’t need another person in my life to control me. But I still miss him. Especially hugging him.. how I which he stayed the same guy when I 1st met. Sweet and so passionate. Maybe what he said about me being low self confident around him. Yeap, only around him. Weird ey? Self inferior thingy I guess. But I cant do anything about it. He made me feel that way. I critize almost everything I say or do. He analize every little detail. And at the end, I don’t feel like doing or saying anything that I want. I just did what he said and did. That is when I realized that the relationship we had is just not healthy. One way communication. HIM, HIM and HIM!

Enough about that. Life just has to go on.

I’m taking a big risk now. I’m leaving everything in just one month. My boyfriend and work. 2 things that had been troubling me since I started em. I need to do something that I like which I still don’t know what. I know I’m gonna regret taking all these risks but that’s life. Back up plans? Yes, of course I do have some. It’s just the matter of finance.

Some may think I’m bluntly stupid. Some may think I’m crazy. But hell, this is my life we’re dealing with. Fuck em all. At least I’m trying to do something to correct my life. I need this. I really need this. Just peace and quiet. Time on my own. Time for me to deal and face my consequences. To get something in llife. To be proud of. So one day I can just tell my kids.. I have live my life with no regrets…