Leslie Glass's Blog, page 305

Prince Harry Shares Secret On Staying Calm

From Erin Hill @ People: Prince Harry is staying centered! The future royal dad is following his wife Meghan Markle’s lead and meditating daily.

During the couple’s outing in Birkenhead on Monday, Harry chatted with a 69-year-old Buddhist monk named Kelsang Sonam, who gave the royal a copy of a book entitled 8 Steps to Happiness after the prince told him he meditates every day.

In a 2015 post on her former lifestyle blog, The Tig, Meghan opened up about her experience with meditation.

“Last week marked the one year anniversary of my relationship with meditation, something I found endlessly daunting at first (the thoughts, the distractions, the boredom of it), but soon became the quietude that rocked my world,” she wrote. “I can’t put my finger on the why or the how, but I will tell you this much, for me…I am just happier. And meditation has much to do with that.”

“I urge you to give it a shot,” she continued. “The worst thing that can happen is that you gave yourself ten minutes of quiet in an endlessly loud world. Shhhhh……it feels good.”

Meghan even invited her meditation instructor, Light Watkins, to offer tips. The Duchess of Sussex met Watkins through a friend during her time on Suits, and she participated in a private meditation session over the course of four days.

“I took her through it and she had wonderful experiences,” Watkins told InStyle. “She really appreciated the training and getting structure. And then I think we connected a couple times. She just kind of checked in and said, ‘Hey, things went well. I’m meditating every day twice a day—it’s wonderful. Once in the morning for 20 minutes, once in the afternoon for 20 minutes.’ ”

And now it seems Harry is also benefiting from the self-care practice, which can reduce stress, control anxiety and improve mental health.

The post Prince Harry Shares Secret On Staying Calm appeared first on Reach Out Recovery.

When A Grandchild Lives With A Substance Abuser

From Susan Adcox@ Very Well Mind: When a parent of a grandchild abuses drugs or alcohol, grandparents are put in a terrible position. Of course, a grandparent’s first instinct is to try to fix things, but substance abuse can be an intractable problem. Often, grandparents must settle for doing everything possible for their grandchildren, but even that course of action has risks.

Does Drug Abuse Constitute Child Abuse?

Grandparents who love their grandchildren think that they deserve non-addicted parents, and this is true. All children deserve parents who are fully there for them. Parents are not perfect, though, and can struggle with a variety of issues. Unless a child is being injured or neglected, a parent’s drug or alcohol abuse is unlikely to qualify as child abuse. This is especially likely to be true when there is another parent in the family who ensures that children get appropriate care or when a parent’s drug abuse does not occur when he or she is in charge of the children.

Basic Steps For Grandparents

Some steps that grandparents can take are obvious ones. They can make sure that the grandchildren know that they have people in their lives who love them and will see that they are taken care of. They can nurture their relationship with their grandchildren so that if they ever have to take over their care, the children won’t feel that they are being turned over to strangers. They can create opportunities for the grandchildren to be with extended family, to get to know aunts, uncles, and cousins. Those family members also often step in during family crises.

What Not To Do

Pointing out a parent’s faults is seldom productive. Even children who know that a parent has a substance abuse problem want to believe the best about their parent. Hearing a grandparent verbally attack a parent is likely to cause problems in the grandparent-grandchild relationship. In addition, parents can be quick to cut off grandparents who are perceived as working against them. The most essential thing that grandparents must do is to preserve contact with the grandchildren.

Sometimes grandparents struggle with staying quiet, feeling that they must take a stand when parents engage in the unwise and destructive behavior. Doing otherwise feels inauthentic and wrong. Speaking up about someone’s drug or alcohol habit seldom changes anything, however. If only it were that easy! And staying quiet does not constitute an endorsement of their behavior.

If grandchildren bring up the topic, however, grandparents may take advantage of the opening to discuss the dangers of substance abuse in a way that is age-appropriate. It is still best, however, to refrain from placing blame.

Effects Of Substance Abuse On Everyday Life

Parental substance abuse can have a wide-ranging impact on families. Often, there are economic consequences, as the addicted parent can have difficulty holding a job or may miss work. Sometimes children are given basic care but don’t get help with homework, health routines, grooming, or other non-essential but important items.

In the case of economic struggles, grandparents are put in a no-win situation. If they readily step in with economic aid, they may be enabling a parent’s habit by making it possible for them to spend even more money on alcohol or drugs. The usual money mistakes that grandparents sometimes make with adult children can have a greater impact when substance abuse is in the picture. Generally speaking, it may be best if grandparents bail out the parents only when not doing so will have a direct and detrimental impact on the grandchildren.

Boundaries Matter

Even when parents struggle with abuse, they usually still see themselves as loving parents and want to fill the parental role. Thus, it is important for grandparents not to overstep boundaries. A grandparent who is afraid that there is no money for school clothes, for example, can offer to take the grandchildren shopping and can even include the parent in the excursion. This is a far better solution than just buying clothes for the children without asking the parents or allowing them to have input.

Emotional Impact

Children whose parents abuse drugs or alcohol may suffer a variety of emotional effects. These include:

Ambivalence: Children typically love their parents, even when they may dislike the way alcohol or drugs make them behave.

Confusion: Children of substance abusers never know what to expect, because they never know when a parent is going to be under the influence.
Lack of Trust: Because alcoholics and substance abusers often promise and fail to deliver, children sometimes grow up feeling that they can’t trust anyone.
Guilt: Substance abusers often blame their behavior on other family members. It’s only natural for children to wonder if they are at fault, even when they are not named.
Shame: Since it’s natural to identify with family members, children may take the shame of addiction on themselves.
Worry: Once children reach a certain age, they realize that substance abuse has consequences, including accidents and run-ins with the law. They may worry that their parent will be incarcerated or die. They may also know that abusers sometimes lose their parental rights, and they may worry about losing their family.

Of course, statistics also show that children of substance abusers are more likely to have such problems themselves. Still, the majority of such children do not end up as substance abusers, and the presence of loving grandparents can be a positive force working against the repetition of the cycle.

Psycho-Social Effects

Substance abuse in a family also affects a child’s psychological and social functioning. Children feel at fault or feel that they must try to fix things. When children react in this way, they often feel a lot of pressure. They may feel that they must be perfect in every way. Grandparents can help by taking any opportunity to point out that the situation is not their fault and that they do not have the power to fix it. They can encourage their grandchildren to do their best but let them know that it’s also okay to mess up occasionally.

At other times, children under-perform or act out. This is a more difficult syndrome for grandparents to handle. They can try to stave off academic difficulties. There are many ways that grandparents can support their grandchildren in school. A truly troubled child, however, will need counseling or therapy. Grandparents can sometimes get parents to agree to such measures if they refrain from tying the child’s behavior to a parent’s substance abuse.

Children whose parents abuse alcohol or drugs are often reluctant to bring friends home. This reluctance can impact their social development. Grandparents can help by sometimes including their grandchildren’s friends in outings and visits. This is a practice that needs to be developed early on, however. If grandparents don’t include friends when their grandchildren are young, it’s unlikely to work when they try to include the friends of tween or teen grandchildren. Yes, many grandparents would prefer to have their grandchildren all to themselves rather than sharing time with their friends. Still, what is best for the grandchildren should be the controlling factor.

In Case Of Abuse Or Neglect

Although substance abuse on the part of a parent doesn’t automatically qualify as child abuse, abuse can occur when a parent is under the influence. Children can also experience neglect, usually defined as a failure to provide food, clothing, shelter, or medical care. Neglect can also occur when parents fail to protect children from risk.

Grandparents who know that grandchildren are being abused or neglected are legally and morally bound to report the situation, even if it is the grandparent’s own child who is at fault. Sometimes, however, grandparents are unsure whether a situation really qualifies as abuse or neglect. Every state has an abuse hotline, and those who man the phone lines can often offer clarification. Sometimes reports can also be made online.

Although reports can be made anonymously, it is best when callers provide their names and contact information so that they can be asked for further information or verification. One’s identity can be kept confidential.

In the case that children must be removed from the home, most grandparents will want to be contacted so that they can be involved in care decisions. In fact, a 2008 act ensures that grandparents have that right. Many grandparents in this situation end up raising grandchildren, either as official foster parents or in a more informal custodial placement.

Of course, grandparents who report abuse run the risk of being cut off from grandchildren, especially if the agency decides that the children are not at risk. Even if a report is anonymous or confidential, parents may correctly deduce the identity of the reporter. Also, parents sometimes simply withdraw from contact with any outside parties. They may even move to avoid contact with protective services. Still, if grandchildren are truly at risk, grandparents have no choice.

Grandparents And Self-Care

When grandchildren are in a bad situation, grandparents suffer, too. When grandchildren live with a drug abuser, grandparents may feel that it is their fault. If the abuser is their own child, they may feel responsible in some way. If the abuser is the spouse, they may feel that they should have opposed the relationship.

The truth is that individuals are responsible for their own decisions. Second-guessing every decision that one made as a parent is unproductive and will only cause additional problems.

One of the best strategies for grandparents dealing with an abuser in the family is to live the best life they can. By caring for themselves physically and emotionally, grandparents will offer their grandchildren positive role models. They will convey that life is full of possibilities. They will be physically and emotionally able to offer their grandchildren a safe place when it is sorely needed.

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When Does Drug Use Become An Addiction?

From Very Well Mind:

Drug addiction is a complex and chronic brain disease. People who have a drug addiction experience compulsive, sometimes uncontrollable, craving for their drug of choice. Typically, they will continue to seek and use drugs in spite of experiencing extremely negative consequences as a result of using.

Characteristics of Addiction

According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), addiction is characterized by:

Inability to consistently abstain from the substance or rewarding experience (as in gambling, sex, or overeating)Impairment in behavioral controlCraving for the substance or rewarding experienceDiminished recognition of significant problems with your behavior and interpersonal relationshipsA dysfunctional emotional response

Although the above five characteristics are usually present in most cases of addiction, ASAM noted that these five features cannot be used to diagnose addiction. “The diagnosis of addiction requires a comprehensive biological, psychological, social, and spiritual assessment by a trained and certified professional.”

Behavioral Manifestations of Addiction

When friends and family members are dealing with a loved one who is addicted, it is usually the outward behaviors of the person that are the obvious symptoms of addiction.

Those behaviors are primarily centered around the addict’s impaired control:

The excessive frequency of drug use in spite of attempts to controlIncreased time using or recovering from drug effectsContinued use in spite of persistent problemsA narrowing of focus on rewards linked to addictionAn inability to take steps to address the problems



The Inability to Abstain

Research has shown that prolonged drug use causes a chemical change in the brain of the addict that alters the brain’s reward system that prompts compulsive drug seeking in the face of growing negative consequences.

This state of addiction, when the activity continues in spite of negative consequences and despite the fact it is no longer rewarding, is termed by addiction experts the “pathological pursuit of rewards.” It is the result of chemical changes in the reward circuitry of the brain.

How Addiction Gets Started

The reason that people engage in activity that can become addictive in the first place is either to achieve a feeling of euphoria or to relieve an emotional state of dysphoria—discomfort, dissatisfaction, anxiety, or restlessness. When they drink, take drugs, or participate in other reward-seeking behavior (such as gambling, eating, or having sex) they experience a “high” that gives them the reward or relief they are seeking.

This high is the result of increased dopamine and opioid peptide activity in the brain’s reward circuits. But after the high they experience, there is a neurochemical rebound which causes the reward function of the brain to drop below the original normal level. When the activity is repeated, the same level of euphoria or relief is not achieved. Simply put, the person never really gets as high as they did that first time.

Lower Highs and Lower Lows

Added to the fact that the addicted person develops a tolerance to the high—requiring more to try to achieve the same level of euphoria—is the fact that the person does not develop a tolerance to the emotional low they feel afterward. Rather than return to “normal,” the person reverts to a deeper state of dysphoria.

When becoming addicted, the person increases the amount of drugs, alcohol, or the frequency of the addictive behaviors in an effort to get back to that initial euphoric state. But the person ends up experiencing a deeper and deeper low as the brain’s reward circuitry reacts to the cycle of intoxication and withdrawal.

When Reward-Seeking Becomes Pathological

According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM), this is the point at which the pursuit of rewards becomes pathological:

Reward-seeking becomes compulsive or impulsive.The behavior ceases to be pleasurable.The behavior no longer provides relief.



No Longer a Function of Choice

To put it another way, the addicted person finds himself compelled—despite his own intentions to stop—to repeat behaviors that are no longer rewarding to try to escape an overwhelming feeling of being ill at ease but find no relief.

According to ASAM, at this point addiction is no longer solely a function of choice. Consequently, the state of addiction is a miserable place to be, for the addict and for those around him.

Chronic Disease and Relapses

For many addicts, addiction can become a chronic illness, meaning that they can have relapses similar to relapses that can happen with other chronic diseases—such as diabetes, asthma, and hypertension—when patients fail to comply with their treatment. These relapses can occur even after long periods of abstinence. The addict can take action to enter remission again. But he remains at risk of another relapse. The ASAM notes “Without treatment or engagement in recovery activities, addiction is progressive and can result in disability or premature death.”

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7 Ways To Keep Up With Your Health Goals On Your Busiest Days

From PopSugar:

It’s one thing to make it to the gym on a normal day — it’s another when you’re feeling overtaxed and anxious about everything on your plate. The stress of a looming deadline at work, an urgent car repair, or a day packed with meetings can be enough to make you want to skip your usual date with the treadmill and grab a handful of greasy chips as a snack.

Tempting as it is to veg out in front of the TV, a long day is no excuse to neglect the healthy lifestyle you’ve been so carefully cultivating. In fact, working out and eating well can actually help reduce your anxiety and improve your mood. Prepare for the next stressful day before it even arrives by following these tips for maintaining your healthy lifestyle, no matter what life throws at you.

Make Your Coffee a Little Healthier

As necessary as it seems, your morning caffeine fix could be adding extra calories and sugar to your diet. Resist the temptation of specialty lattes or blended drinks, and stick to regular brewed coffee. Flavored creamers aren’t your friend, either. Instead, try skim or almond milk and a dash of cinnamon for extra sweetness without the sugar.

Stash Extra Gym Clothes at Your Desk

When you’re rushing through your morning routine, accidentally leaving things at home is inevitable. Don’t let a forgotten gym bag get in the way of your workout plans. Instead, keep an extra gym bag in your office or in the trunk of your car so you’ll always be ready to hit the gym.

Reach For a Protein-Packed Lunch

Make lunchtime easy with one of the quickest options out there: a fast salad with a StarKist tuna, chicken, or salmon pouch and mixed greens. Since the pouches of tuna, salmon, and chicken come in flavors like Thai chili tuna, buffalo chicken, and mango-chipotle salmon, you don’t even need salad dressing or other seasonings. When it’s time for lunch (or a snack!), just open the pouch, add to your salad greens or pair with your favorite sliced veggies, and enjoy! You can even eat the tuna, salmon, or chicken straight from the pouch if you’re on-the-go! Each tasty pouch contains plenty of protein, healthy fats, and other nutrients — plus, there’s no cooking required.

Walk as Much as You Can

Find excuses to get up from your desk and go for a walk as often as you can during the day. You could turn a regular one-on-one into a walking meeting, run an errand on foot instead of driving, or even take the stairs instead of the elevator in the parking garage.

Carry a Reusable Water Bottle With You

Drinking plenty of water seems like a simple enough goal, but it’s just way too easy to forget when you’re running from meeting to meeting. Get in the habit of carrying a reusable water bottle everywhere you go so you have no excuse not to hydrate.

Squeeze In Short Workouts

If you really don’t have time to go to the gym, find other ways to get active. Fit in a few lunges while you’re brushing your teeth or squats while you’re on a conference call. You can even switch to a standing desk for a constant core workout. Hey, it’s better than nothing!

Keep Healthy Snacks on Hand

When you’re starving, it’s hard to resist a slice of someone’s birthday cake or chocolate from the lobby candy jar. You’ll be much less tempted if you have healthy snacks like nuts and dried fruit, good-for-you protein bars, StarKist tuna, chicken, or salmon pouches and crackers, or precut veggies easily available.

The post 7 Ways To Keep Up With Your Health Goals On Your Busiest Days appeared first on Reach Out Recovery.

6 Ways To Completely Clear Negative Energy

Like everyone else, have you ever wished you could just completely clear all of the negativity and start with a fresh, clean slate?

1. WARMTH OF SUNSHINE AND FRESH AIR

Fresh air and sunshine have amazing cleansing powers. As the warm kiss of the sun beams on your face and the air blows through your hair , the positive energy of nature will always make you feel anew. Open your windows or take a walk outside, if the weather permits. Sense the cleansing air enter your lungs as you inhale, then breathe out the negative energy and repeat.

2. JOY AND LAUGHTER

Laughter is not just the best medicine for sickness but it is a very effective way for clearing lower energy. Joy is perceived as the highest vibration there is, so it works beautifully for canceling out lower vibrations. You probably won’t feel like laughing if you are under the influence of these negative energies. So, pull up some funny videos to watch or read funny comics.

3. SMUDGE

To smudge, light a rolled stick of sage, set the intent of what you are going to cleanse (such as your home, body, an object, etc.) and fan the sage lightly. If you are at home, open all the windows to release negative energy as it is cleansed.

4. WATER

Create an ‘attractor’ for lower energies by pouring a glass of water and set the intention that lower energies that are in your field will be absorbed by the water. Save the glass filled with water until your energy feels pure and open. Then pour the water in the toilet and flush it, or pour it outside in the yard for the lower energy to be transformed back into love by mother earth.

5. SALT

Salt Rock Lamp’s beauty and tranquility allow people to focus on positive energies which allow them to heal mentally and physically. It is also believed that Himalayan Salt Rocks release the negative ions in the air. Sea salt placed around the borders of your windows, doors, and house have been believed to ward off incoming negative energy and cleanse

THE “BLISS” BATH

BLISS stands for: Baking soda, Lavender oil, Intention and Salt Salt.

BLISS BATH:

Add to warm/hot water, as hot as you can comfortably stand.

1/2 lb of Baking Soda

A few drops of Eden’s Garden Lavender Oil

Positive Intention

1/2 lb of Sea Salt

Generally, it’s a great detox for your energy and your body. If you make it hot enough that you can comfortably stand and stay in it for at least 20 minutes, it will draw the toxins out of the body to the skins surface as the water cools. This water is very high alkaline from the baking soda and re-mineralizing from the sea salt.

This is an effective way to cleanse negative energy that you suspect you may have picked up. You’ll know this when you aren’t feeling yourself or feeling overwhelmed.

Remember, after your bliss bath, drain the tub and quickly shower off, washing your hair, too. This will guarantee that the toxins are completely rinsed off and don’t absorb back into the skin.

Overall, whether you’ve absorbed negative energy or not, this bath is great to cleanse and regard your energy and body.

6. PRAYER or MANTRA

Say a clearing and protection prayer or mantra.

As with some of the other techniques, you may have to repeat this several times and must say it out loud. You can even place your right hand over your throat gently to feel the vibration as you say this prayer.

From 1Mhealthtips.com

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What It Means to Be a High-Functioning Sociopath; and How to Tell If You Know One

From Health.com:

Chances are good that you know or have at least met someone with antisocial personality disorder, aka a sociopath. According to some estimates, up to 4% of the population (mostly men) have the disorder, making it more common even than bipolar disorder.

Although there’s no official diagnosis of a “high-functioning sociopath,” it’s a term that could apply to most people with antisocial personality disorder, because they often don’t have any trouble getting by. Their behavior tends to hurt others more than themselves, which is why so few actually seek or receive treatment.

“Most are out there leaving a trail of broken hearts and pain,” Stephen Salzbrenner, MD, assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Nebraska College of Medicine in Omaha, tells Health.

In order to get an official diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), a person needs to have at least three of seven traits outlined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the official diagnostic “bible” of the psychiatric community. That means ASPD exists on a spectrum, with some people exhibiting more severe behavior than others.

The general rule is that people with ASPD have no regard for other human beings and will go to great lengths—often using other people, breaking the law, and becoming violent—to get what they want. The behavior can be egregious (rape or murder), or it may stop at lying and cheating.

Now a little bit of reassuring news: You’re not likely to be married to or the business partner of a true sociopath, says Dr. Salzbrenner. In fact, someone diagnosed with ASPD “probably wouldn’t even be in a relationship,” he says. “The only relationship they would be in is where there’s some kind of material gain or sexual gain. They will shack up with somebody if there’s something to gain, but as soon as they lose that they’re off.”

If you have the misfortune of crossing paths with a high-functioning sociopath, though, you could be in trouble. Certainly, you’ve heard the stereotype of the charmer who talks a woman into signing over her inheritance or life-insurance policy. It may seem unlikely that you would do this for someone you don’t know well, but, says Dr. Salzbrenner, sociopaths are “phenomenal at making you feel like you’ve known them forever.”

Similarly, people with ASPD don’t tend to stick with jobs for long. “They’re probably temp workers,” says Dr. Salzbrenner. Someone who stays with a job for a long time may have antisocial traits but likely doesn’t meet all the criteria for a diagnosis, he adds.

Other traits of someone with ASPD also get in the way of living stable lives, starting with irresponsibility. This might manifest as not showing up to work on time or not even looking for work when they’re unemployed, as well as not paying bills, debts, or child support.

In general, sociopaths are rule breakers. Even more, they’re law breakers, and many have spent time in correctional facilities. “These people, left to their own devices, wouldn’t follow any rules unless it served their own self-interest,” says Dr. Salzbrenner.

High-functioning sociopaths often lie—about something as significant as their identity or as seemingly trivial as where they spent the afternoon. It’s a “pattern of calculated lying,” says Dr. Salzbrenner. They also tend to exaggerate to make themselves look better and to deflect blame onto others.

While the lies may be calculated, sociopaths also tend to be impulsive, not calculating long-term consequences. “They really don’t have a very identifiable picture of what lies down the road if they do something wrong but are [instead] very responsive to immediate reward,” says Dr. Salzbrenner. “Having an affair is nothing to them, or stealing something is nothing.” And because sociopaths are so charming and witty, they may not actually get caught, or they may avoid facing punishment if they are caught.

Perhaps not surprisingly, high-functioning sociopaths are also reckless, perhaps speeding or driving while drunk or high. In fact, people with ASPD are more likely than the average person to have substance abuse issues. They are also easily provoked and can get aggressive, even sometimes picking fights—and they don’t show remorse for any pain or damage they may have caused.

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Do You Need Help With A Bully

When you need help with a bully, don’t keep silent. From bulldozer bosses to pushy family members to spouses, friends and love relationships, bullying continues long beyond the playground. How it works to make you feel helpless and what to do.

8 Signs You Have A Bully In Your Life

Bullies create diversion to drinking, drugging, or not doing doing well in many areas. They go on the offensive by accusing, and provoking others. Here are some ways that bullies can beat you down and create misery in your life.

Repeatedly gives undeserved criticism
Uses verbal or physical abuse
Has excessive or unrealistic expectations of you
Abuses your rights and dignity
Doesn’t listen to anything you say
Is always opinionated and judgmental
Manipulates situations to his/her advantage
Never takes responsibility for his/her actions

15 Ways Bullies Destroy You

Bullies will keep you angry and anxious, so you start wondering what is wrong with you and not them.

You feel intimidated or humiliated almost every day
You feel like hiding from the world because your bully has created havoc in your life
You’re not sure what’s going on or what’s the truth
You find yourself questioning your own sanity
You feel anxious
You experience depression
You lose your self-confidence and self esteem
You’re fearful
You feel lonely and alienated
You have abandonment issues
You’re afraid of rejection
You can’t sleep
You have suicidal thoughts
You miss work
You have other symptoms, too many to mention

What Not To Do

In the playground and at school, children are often afraid to tell.

Ignoring a bully will only give him (or her) the power to continue in their destructive behavior.

Find Your Voice

Learn how to express yourself without the fear of breaking down, always talk about how accusations and criticism made you feel. Bad.

Learn how to express your feelings in a calm and collected way. Don’t back down when someone says you’re making it up, or lying. Find others who can back you up.

Collect Your Allies

Friends, co-workers and family members can be your cheerleaders and validate your feelings, as in: “No you are not crazy, this really happened to you”

Learn To Communicate With One Idea At A Time

Bullies are impatient and short, so tackle one subject at a time. Once you touched one subject don’t add, “And what about your aunt’s visit?”

Take Care Of You

Become your own friend, be gentle with yourself and your self-care.

Begin to trust your own feelings.

You deserve to be happy again, whether at your workplace, with your family unit and with your friends.

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A Healthy Diet Isn’t Enough to Make Up for Lack of Exercise

From Men’s Health:

“Diet and exercise,” goes the old mantra—it’s hard to find a better shorthand for the fundamentals of good health. Of course, the picture can be more complicated. But a new study reminds us of the importance of both elements, finding that otherwise healthy, smart-eating people who didn’t exercise can still have a high risk of cardiovascular disease—in fact, they had the same risk as people who were overweight.

The study used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and focused on people ages 4o to 79. Researchers divided the data into two categories, comparing people with healthy body mass index (BMI) to those with overweight BMI. They then assessed the two groups for cardiovascular risk.

Specifically, they focused on people who had healthy BMI, but who had characteristics that might make them more likely to have cardiovascular risk: an unhealthy sagittal abdominal diameter (a fancy way of saying “a gut”), shortness of breath after exertion, and less than recommended levels of exercise. They also adjusted for other factors, age, race, and gender.

After crunching the numbers, they found that even people with a healthy BMI, but who led sedentary lifestyles, showed roughly the same risk for cardiovascular disease as those with an overweight BMI. In an interesting wrinkle, they also found that people who sit for long periods of time—which has recently been associated with unhealthy outcomes—had lowered cardiovascular risk if they also were physically active.

In other words, exercise correlated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease even among people who otherwise sat a lot. And generally, lack of exercise is associated with higher risk of cardiovascular disease even among otherwise healthy people.

There are a few caveats, the authors note. There’s some debate over whether the standard method for calculating cardiovascular disease risk actually overestimates the threat in some populations. And some of the data on physical fitness was self-reported, meaning it may not be a precise measure. Overall, though, this data should be generalizable to most adults in the United States.

The findings, the authors argue, suggest that focusing on BMI as a healthy target may not be enough. People may reach what’s considered the appropriate weight for their size, but if they’re not exercising, the study shows, they may have the same risk as overweight people when it comes to cardiovascular disease. The lesson? When it comes to your heart health, exercise matters.

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Kids: Connection To Nature Lessens Distress, Hyperactivity And Behavioral Problems

From Science Daily:

A new 16-item parent questionnaire (CNI-PPC) to measure ‘connectedness to nature’ in very young children has been developed by Dr. Sobko and her collaborator Professor Gavin Brown, Director of the Quantitative Data Analysis and Research Unit at the University of Auckland. The results revealed that parents who saw their child had a closer connection with nature had less distress, less hyperactivity, and fewer behavioral and emotional difficulties, and improved pro-social behavior.

City lifestyle has been criticised for being an important reason for children being disconnected from nature. This has led to an unhealthy lifestyle in regards to active play and eating habits. Even worse, many young children do not feel well psychologically — they are often stressed and depressed. 16 per cent of pre-schoolers in Hong Kong and up to 22% in China show signs of mental health problems.

Recent research shows that spending time in nature may bring many health benefits, and many environmental programmes around the world are trying to decrease ‘nature-deficit’ and ‘child-nature disconnectedness’ in order to improve children’s health. For example, the WHO, in order to monitor implementation of the Parma Declaration commitment to providing every child with access to “green spaces to play and undertake physical activity,” has set a 300-meter target. Interestingly, 90 per cent of the Hong Kong population lives within 400 metres of such areas. However, despite the extensive, adjacent greenness, families are not using these areas.

“We noticed a tendency where parents are avoiding nature. They perceive it as dirty and dangerous, and their children unfortunately pick up these attitudes. In addition, the green areas are often unwelcoming with signs like “Keep off the grass,” said Dr Tanja Sobko from the School of Biological Sciences of the University of Hong Kong. Until now, it has not been possible to measure connectedness to nature in preschool children, mostly due to the fact that they are too young to answer for themselves.

A new 16-item parent questionnaire (CNI-PPC) to measure “connectedness to nature’ in very young children has been developed by Dr Sobko and her collaborator Prof Gavin Brown, Director of the Quantitative Data Analysis and Research Unit at the University of Auckland. The questionnaire identified four areas that reflect the child-nature relationship: enjoyment of nature, empathy for nature, responsibility towards nature, and awareness of nature.

The study consisted of two parts: the initial interviews with the families and the subsequent development of the questionnaire. Altogether, 493 families with children aged between 2 and 5 have participated in the study. Finally the new questionnaire was tested against the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, a well-established measurement of psychological well-being and children’s behaviour problems. The results revealed that parents who saw their child had a closer connection with nature had less distress, less hyperactivity, & fewer behavioural and emotional difficulties, and improved pro-social behaviour. Interestingly, children who took greater responsibility towards the nature had fewer peer difficulties. The results give a new possibility for investigating the link between the outdoor environment and well-being in pre-school children.

The study is part of Dr Sobko’s research-based programme Play&Grow, which is the first in Hong Kong to promote healthy eating and active playtime with preschool children by connecting them to nature. Launched 2016, it has so far included almost 1000 families from all over Hong Kong.

The findings have been published in multidisciplinary Open Access journal, PLOS ONE. The new scale has already attracted international attention and is being adopted by universities worldwide including Western Australia and Deakin Universities. In addition, the HKU-developed ‘Play&Grow’ programme is also on track to be conducted in Australia.

The next step is to further fine-tune future health promotion/disease prevention interventions, which Dr Sobko and the team are committed to. “We are grateful for the recognition of the Government, which has recently granted significant financial support to this important project,” said Dr Sobko. The new exciting extension of this work is to test the effect of the exposing children to nature and changes in their gut microbiota.

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Burnout: What Is It And How To Get Rid Of It

From Helpguide.org: If constant stress has you feeling helpless, disillusioned, and completely exhausted, you may be on the road to burnout. When you’re burned out, problems seem insurmountable, everything looks bleak, and it’s difficult to muster up the energy to care, let alone take action to help yourself.

The unhappiness and detachment caused by burnout can threaten your job, your relationships, and your health. But by recognizing the earliest warning signs, you can take steps to prevent it. Or if you’ve already hit breaking point, there are plenty of things you can do to regain your balance and start to feel positive and hopeful again.

What is burnout?

Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands. As the stress continues, you begin to lose the interest and motivation that led you to take on a certain role in the first place.

Burnout reduces productivity and saps your energy, leaving you feeling increasingly helpless, hopeless, cynical, and resentful. Eventually, you may feel like you have nothing more to give.

The negative effects of burnout spill over into every area of life—including your home, work, and social life. Burnout can also cause long-term changes to your body that make you vulnerable to illnesses like colds and flu. Because of its many consequences, it’s important to deal with burnout right away.

Are You On The Road To Burnout?

You may be on the road to burnout if:

Every day is a bad day.
Caring about your work or home life seems like a waste of energy.
You’re exhausted all the time.
The majority of your day is spent on tasks you find either mind-numbingly dull or overwhelming.
You feel like nothing you do makes a difference or is appreciated.


How To Get Rid Of Burnout

Whether you recognize the warning signs of impending burnout or you’re already past the breaking point, trying to push through the exhaustion and continuing as you have been will only cause further emotional and physical damage. Now is the time to pause and change direction by learning how you can help yourself overcome burnout and feel healthy and positive again.

Dealing with burnout requires the “Three R” approach:

Recognize – Watch for the warning signs of burnout
Reverse – Undo the damage by seeking support and managing stress
Resilience – Build your resilience to stress by taking care of your physical and emotional health

Burnout is an undeniable sign that something important in your life is not working. Take time to think about your hopes, goals, and dreams. Are you neglecting something that is truly important to you? This can be an opportunity to rediscover what really makes you happy and to slow down and give yourself time to rest, reflect, and heal.

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