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Whether you are a newspaper reporter, educator,
professional, legislator or an interested member of the public,
we hope that this quarterly newsletter will help you stay current
on mental health issues in Pennsylvania and the entire country.
| APA Stress
Survey Finds Gender Differences |
Americans engage in unhealthy behaviors such
as comfort eating, poor diet choices, smoking and inactivity to
help deal with stress, according to a national
survey released by the American Psychological Association,
the National Women’s Health Resource Center and iVillage.com.
Stress is higher among the family’s health care decision
maker. Seventy-three percent of women identify themselves as the
primary decision maker in the household for health issues versus
40 percent of men.
Women express concern about how stress affects their lives more
than men. Women dealing with stress report feelings of nervousness,
wanting to cry, or lack of energy, while men talk about trouble
sleeping or feeling irritable or angry. Women are more likely
than men to report health problems related to stress such as hypertension,
anxiety or depression and obesity.
According to the survey findings, one in four Americans turns
to food to help alleviate stress or deal with problems. Comfort
eaters report higher levels of stress than average and exhibit
higher levels of all the most common symptoms of stress, including
fatigue, lack of energy, nervousness, irritability, and trouble
sleeping. Comfort eaters are also more likely than the average
American to experience health problems like hypertension and high
cholesterol.
• Stress levels are higher for frequent fast-food eaters.
• 31 percent of women say they are comfort eaters versus
19 percent of men.
• Men are more likely than women to opt for unhealthy
snacks such as potato chips.
Complete
APA Stress Survey
Mind/Body
Stress Article
For a
Healthy Mind and Body...Talk to a Psychologist
| Vacation
as Therapy - Vincent Morello, Ph.D. |
Do you live to work or work to live? Americans
work more hours per year than people in other industrialized
societies, including Europe and Japan. But now it seems we are
pushing ourselves harder than ever! A recent Expedia survey
found that 415 million vacation days are forfeited each year
– an average of 3 days for each worker.
Americans not only work more hours; we also get fewer hours
of sleep. Too much work combined with too little rest is a dangerous
combination that could lead to stress-induced disorders.
Would you want to know that your surgeon is sleep-deprived
and had almost no vacation for 12 months? How about your airplane
pilot? Your financial planner? Your child-care worker? How about
anyone else you depend upon?
Recent studies in neuroscience and cognitive science tell us
that when people are well rested they can pay better attention,
think more clearly, and remember information better. Further,
they are more energetic, cheerful, and cooperative.
Vacations truly are therapeutic. If you are affected by any
of the following problems, see what happens when you take a
vacation of at least one week.
• Irritable/Short-tempered with family
or co-workers
• Rushing almost all day long
• Seldom feel rested or able to sleep well
• Relying too much on consuming food, drugs, or alcohol
to feel replenished
• Numerous headaches, backaches, muscular aches and pains
When you do go away, remember to RELAX. Turn off the cell phones,
put away the laptop, and experience the joy of simply being
with yourself.
It takes several days to really begin to let go and unwind.
Thus, vacations of one week or more are preferable to long weekends.
And make it a habit! You will emerge a better worker, parent,
friend, student, and person.
| Physical
Exercise Improves Your Mood - Pauline Wallin, Ph.D. |
It has long been recognized that exercise is good for your physical
health. But did you know that it also boosts mental health? People
who exercise regularly report less stress, improved sleep, more
energy and higher self-esteem.
Recent research shows that exercise improves mental well-being,
even in seriously depressed people.
Studies comparing antidepressant treatment vs supervised exercise,
found that depressed people who took medicine improved more quickly
than those who exercised.
However, at the end of three months, there was little difference
between the two groups – both had improved to a similar
degree. But more importantly, after six months, the group that
exercised was less likely to relapse into depression.
No one really knows exactly how exercise improves mental health.
There are theories of improved blood flow to the brain, as well
as the production of "endorphins," but such explanations
have not been proven.
We do know, however, that when you exercise your body, you also
shift the way in which you think. For example:
• When you exert yourself physically – such as
by walking a mile, lifting 80 lb., or mastering that steep hill
on your bike – you feel a sense of accomplishment. Even
mini-feats such as these can contribute to overall self-esteem.
• Exercise distracts you from how bad you feel, giving
you something else to focus on. With additional distractions
such as listening to music or working out with other people
at the gym, you may break through a cycle of negative thinking.
• Exercise is a form of "taking charge." You
make the decision to exert effort. You get credit for your accomplishment;
no one can do it for you. Knowing this helps you feel in control.
• The discipline of regular exercise often generalizes
to other areas of your life, such as eating more healthfully
and being more organized. When more things are going well, you
feel better about yourself.
How much should you exercise? That depends on your physical
health and lifestyle. Check with your health professional to discuss
what's right for you.
| Setting
Goals in Sport and Life - Mark Hogue, Psy.D. |
The Association for the Advancement of
Applied Sport Psychology (AAASP)
Parent & Child Guide to Watching a Sports Event
In an effort to enhance the viewing of an athletic
competition and to help promote positive viewing interaction between
parents and children, AAASP has developed a series of topics and
questions that adults can discuss with their children. We hope
that these guides will help promote a healthy dialogue between
parents and their children about various issues that athletes
face during sporting events, as well as in preparation for competition.
Your child doesn’t necessarily need to be an athlete to
benefit from these discussions, since children experience most
of these issues in daily life, such as in school. We hope that
this information is helpful to you in promoting healthy ideas
about sport, exercise, and human performance in general.
Discussion questions for parents and children
While you watch a sports event:
- Do you think athletes set goals that helped them get to the
level in which they are competing?
- What goals do you think they set?
- Do you think that they just had one goal? Or do you think
that they set many smaller goals that eventually got them to
the level in which they are competing?
- Have you ever set goals in sports, school, or other performance
areas?
- Have you ever set a goal and not reached it? Did that make
you feel like giving up or did you get more determined? What
can you do to change a goal to make it more reachable?
- Do you believe that professional athletes achieved every single
goal that they ever set?
- Do you ever write down your goals?
- Do you think of yourself as successful only if you achieve
the “FINAL GOAL,” or do you feel successful along
the way as you make steps toward your ultimate goal?
- When an athlete or team wins a championship, ask the child:
“Now that they have won a title, what do you think they
will do now?
AAASP TIPS FOR SETTING GOALS:
- Set specific goals.
- Set realistic, but challenging goals. Aim high, yet be reasonable.
- Set short-term and long-term goals.
a. write a goal that is your ultimate goal.
b. short-term goals should focus on developing specific skills
needed to achieve the long-term goal
c. create goals to reach your ultimate goal.
- Set goals for practice AND competition (not just competition).
- Write your goals down. “Ink it, don’t just think
it.”
- Develop goal achievement strategies.
a. think about how you will develop the skills to meet your
goal
b. create a system where you get a small reward each time you
make progress toward your ultimate” goal.
- Set goals that are measurable.
- Set individual and, if appropriate, team goals.
- Periodically evaluate where you are and decide if you need
to change your practice routines to reach the set goals, or
if you need to change the goals themselves to make them more
realistic.
- Realize that improvement and success is an ongoing and exciting
process, and the “journey” can be as satisfying
as the “destination.”
Lesson conclusion
Research on athletes and in business psychology clearly indicates
that people who set goals, and then periodically evaluate their
goals, are more successful than people who do not set goals. Athletes
usually set long-term goals, but they often don’t set daily
practice goals that will lead them to their ultimate goals. When
children set goals that are achievable and then begin to see themselves
reach these goals, they will increase their confidence and self-esteem.
Being more confident then brings about more success. Unrealistic
goal-setting can create a sense of hopelessness and failure. While
few athletes become Olympians or professional athletes, those
who do had childhood dreams of doing so. So be careful to not
dash the hopes of an aspiring professional athlete! Athletes do
best when they aim high, but focus on their short-term goals.
Parents can help young athletes be realistic by helping their
daughters and sons develop sensible short-term daily, weekly,
or monthly goals.
AAASP encourages parents to do their part in creating a supportive
youth sport environment so their child will develop a lifelong
interest in physical activity and sports. By teaching fundamental
sporting principles, you can help your child develop a winning
attitude, not only in sports but also throughout his or her life.
| Business
and Psychology Day: You're invited! |
What can psychology do for business? Come
and find out at PPA’s Annual Convention at the Harrisburg
Hilton and Towers in Harrisburg, PA.
Thursday, June 15 is "Business and Psychology Day"
at the convention. Psychologists, business owners, managers, supervisors,
and consultants are invited to attend a full day of workshops,
networking and awards.
Workshops include:
* Raising the Bar for Service Excellence
* Cognitive Behavioral Therapeutic Approach to Address Workplace
Issues
* The Business Case for Diversity
* Designing and Executing Interventions and Engagements in
a Business Setting
* Seven Internal Practices of Highly Resilient People.
* Positive Psychology: Assessing Clients’ Strengths and
Building Resilience
* The Journey Called You: A Roadmap to Self-Discovery and Acceptance
One of the highlights of the day is presentation of the 2006 Psychologically
Healthy Workplace Award, bestowed on select Pennsylvania businesses
that maintain supportive and productive work environments.
The winners will participate in an interactive panel discussion.
This is a unique opportunity to hear how organizations have flourished,
while making a commitment to fostering psychological health, productivity
and employee well-being.
To register for PPA’s Business and Psychology Day, contact
Peggie Price at 717-232-3817.
Click
here for additional information on workshops and presenters.
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