TRANQUIL TUESDAY-
"JUST THE FACTS..."

THIS TIME OF YEAR ALL OVER THE COUNTRY STUDENTS ARE APPROACHING THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.

THIS REMINDS ME OF THE CLASSIC DETECTIVE TV SHOW, DRAGNET, IN WHICH THE STONE-FACED DETECTIVE, NAMED FRIDAY, WOULD QUESTION A WITNESS AT THE SCENE OF THE CRIME... AND WHEN THEY BECAME OVERLY EMOTIONAL, HE WOULD STOP THEM AND SAY:   "JUST THE FACTS, MA'AM, JUST THE FACTS."

FINAL EXAMS ARE COMING SOON ALONG WITH TERM PAPERS, FINAL PROJECTS,
AND ALL THE REST.

SOME STUDENTS SEEM TO TAKE THIS ALL IN STRIDE WHILE MANY STUDENTS FEEL THEIR STRESS LEVELS MOUNTING WITH EACH PASSING DAY.
STRESS LEVEL IS JUST ANOTHER TERM FOR ANXIETY -  THAT UNPLEASANT MIXTURE OF DREAD AND PHYSICAL SENSATIONS LIKE RAPID POUNDING HEARTBEATS, NAUSEA OR "BUTTERFLIES IN YOUR STOMACH", SUDDEN SWEATING WITHOUT EXERTION, ETC. 

THOSE SYMPTOMS, WHICH ARE PART OF A HUMAN SURVIVAL RESPONSE TO A THREAT OF DANGER, CAN ALL ARISE WHEN WE FACE DEADLINES, EXAMS, AND EVALUATIONS.

BUT WHAT'S THE DANGER?  WHAT'S THE THREAT? A PIECE OF PAPER OR A COMPUTER WITH SOME QUESTIONS ON IT? AN INSTRUCTOR WITH A LOOK OF DISAPPROVAL? A GROUP OF EXAMINERS, ALL WITH LOOKS OF DISAPPROVAL ON THEIR FACES? NO WILD ANIMALS. NO HORDES OF ENEMY WARRIORS.

SO WHY DO WE REACT AS IF OUR LIVES WERE IN DANGER?

COULD IT BE THAT WE WERE TAUGHT BY PARENTS OR SOCIETY THAT DISAPPROVAL FROM AUTHORITY FIGURES IS THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN TO US?

POSSIBLY.

BUT, MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHAT CAN WE DO TO ELIMINATE THE FEAR AND ALL OF THOSE UNCOMFORTABLE PHYSICAL SENSATIONS?

SUPPOSE WE ACTUALLY WROTE DOWN THE  THOUGHT " I FEEL LIKE I'M IN DANGER AND SOMETHING TERRIBLE IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO ME."

THEN SUPPOSE WE LOOK AT THAT THOUGHT AND ASK OURSELVES:

" IS THAT THOUGHT BASED ON FACTS OR JUST A FEELING?"

IN ESSENCE; "AM I REALLY FACING SERIOUS INJURY OR THE LOSS OF MY LIFE OR THE LIVES OF THOSE I LOVE?"

IF YOU'RE FACING EXAMS OR PROJECT DEADLINES THE ANSWER IS "NO." SO THE TRUE SOURCE OF YOUR SUFFERING IS SOMETHING THAT COGNITIVE THERAPISTS CALL "EMOTIONAL REASONING", DEFINED AS MAKING JUDGMENTS OR DECISIONS BASED ON EMOTIONS WITHOUT FACTS.

IF YOU WANT TO BEGIN TO GET CONTROL OF YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM AND QUELL THAT FIGHT OR FLIGHT RESPONSE, YOU CAN CHOOSE TO WRITE DOWN A HEALTHIER WAY TO LOOK AT YOUR SITUATION.

FOR EXAMPLE " THAT'S ONLY A FEELING, AND THE FACT IS THAT
                      I AM SAFE,
AND I JUST HAVE SOME READING, WRITING , AND REPETITION TO DO, SO I'LL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS TIME AND LEARN AS MUCH AS I CAN FROM THIS CHALLENGE SO I CAN TURN IT INTO AN OPPORTUNITY." 

TRY WRITING OR TYPING THIS HEALTHIER THOUGHT MULTIPLE TIMES, CONCENTRATING ON THE MEANING OF EACH PHRASE UNTIL THE FACTS FEEL MORE NATURAL AND COMFORTABLE.   

JUST THE FACTS, MA'AM, JUST THE FACTS.

DALE J. ANDERSON, M.D.

MELLOW MONDAYS-                                     THE MEDITATIONS WE ALL DO WITHOUT KNOWING IT.  

OFTEN PEOPLE FIND THEMSELVES FEELING STRESSED OUT OR DISCOURAGED AND THEY THINK THAT LIFE HAS TO BE THAT WAY, UNLESS THEY WIN THE LOTTERY. BUT OVER AND OVER AGAIN I FIND THAT WHEN PEOPLE HAVE SUCH STRONG NEGATIVE FEELINGS, IT TURNS OUT THAT WITHOUT BEING AWARE OF IT, THEY'RE EITHER PICTURING VERY NEGATIVE IMAGES OF WHAT THE FUTURE WILL BE LIKE, OFTEN BASED ON UNPLEASANT EXPERIENCES FROM THE PAST, OR  THEY'RE ACTUALLY SILENTLY TELLING THEMSELVES IN WORDS THAT NOTHING GOOD CAN EVER COME FROM THE PAST, AND THAT NOTHING GOOD WILL HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE.
THAT WOULD BE REALLY DISCOURAGING ....IF IT WERE TRUE.BUT IT'S FALSE. MANY HEROES IN HISTORY LIKE FREDERICK DOUGLASS, ABRAHAM LINCOLN, AND MAHATMA GHANDI       HAD  HARD BEGINNINGS AND  GREAT STRUGGLES IN THEIR LIVES, BUT THEY AVOIDED MAKING NEGATIVE PREDICTIONS, USED THE HARD REALITIES OF THE PAST AS LESSONS, AND ENVISIONED, IN THEIR MINDS, THE POSSIBILITY OF ACHIEVING GOOD RESULTS, BY TAKING ADVANTAGE OF OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN AND USED THE NEW KNOWLEDGE TO  PLAN NEW STRATEGIES CAREFULLY.
BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF WHAT THEY DID WAS TO BE OPEN TO THE POSSIBILITY OF GOOD RESULTS, AND TO ENVISION THOSE RESULTS IN THEIR MINDS. THAT'S THE DOORWAY TO SOMETHING BETTER.
THOSE HEROES MADE A SILENT MEDITATION OUT OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCCESS. THAT'S SOMETHING WE ALL NEED TO PRACTICE WHEN WE FEEL ANXIOUS OR DISCOURAGED. TO MEDITATE, IN OTHER WORDS TO INWARDLY FOCUS OUR MINDS ON IMAGES OF SUCCEEDING IN ACHIEVING OUR GOALS, AND GO OVER THOSE IMAGES REPEATEDLY. TO PUT THOSE IMAGES INTO WORDS AND SILENTLY REPEAT THOSE WORDS OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
SOME PEOPLE THINK WHY SHOULD I DO ALL THAT? THEY DON'T REALIZE THAT WHEN THEY FEEL DISCOURAGED OR STRESSED OUT THEY'RE ALREADY DOING THE SAME THING, BUT WITH NEGATIVE IMAGES AND DISCOURAGING WORDS.
WE ALL MEDITATE.
BUT IF WE WANT TO FEEL HEALTHIER, WE NEED TO CHOOSE THE THOUGHTS AND IMAGES ON WHICH WE MEDITATE, WISELY.
HAVE A MELLOW MEDITATIONAL MONDAY.

DALE J. ANDERSON, M.D.    

WELLNESS WEDNESDAY-
            Food for Thought or Thought for Food

It's been said countless times that you are what you eat, but if you think about it, millions of people eat foods that are bad for them everyday, but they dont't usually feel bad as a result until months or even years later when they get heart disease, cancer, or some other illness.

On the other hand if you start thinking about a personal tragedy like the untimely death of a close family member, or losing a job and not being able to take care of your family, and you keep thinking about it over and over, you can actually start to feel sick in a few minutes (or less). Thinking this way can make some people have chest pain and  others feel dizzy and nauseated, have sweats ,tremors, or sudden fatigue and sleepiness. That's the power of your mind. Your brain is like an incredible chemical factory and some of the chemicals it makes can make you feel ill.

BUT THERE'S GOOD NEWS ! If you practice choosing to focus your attention on thoughts, ideas, and images that represent good results for your life ,you start the release of brain chemicals that circulate all over the body and get rid of all those negative sick feelings. Just remember that if you've been thinking negative thoughts for a long time it's probably going to take a very determined consistent effort to produce the release of enough brain chemicals to make you begin to feel happiness or relaxation, but it's worth the effort.

Your mind is incredibly powerful when you use it to help yourself. That's what I've seen thousands of times even in people who've had severe depressed mood or anxiety. Practicing principles of cognitive therapy harnesses that power. That's the power of good healthy thoughts. They're  like good food for your brain.   

So maybe instead of FOOD for THOUGHT, it really should be THOUGHT for FOOD.
Chew on that for a while.

DALE J. ANDERSON, M.D.

THOUGHTFUL THURSDAY

"COPOWER" YOUR WAY IN THE KITCHEN

My wife is a fantastic cook - a self professed "foodie".  She reads gourmet cookbooks from cover to cover, and has been known to have high butterfat, European style butter mailed to her directly from dairies in Wisconsin.  So when her weight started creeping up and her cholesterol topped 300, her doctor  told her it was time to get serious. 

But the thought of dieting made her go into grieving mode - she was making the NEGATIVE PREDICTION  that she would no longer be able to enjoy the foods she loved. 

So I went into my "sneaky but sincere" battle mode.  I made her some dishes that were healthier, but I didn't tell her about the changes I made in the recipes until after she tried them.  She's very particular - but she loved them!

Now she's learned to OPEN HER MIND to the possibility of good taste  without calorie and cholesterol carnage.  You can too!

Dr. Anderson's "Sneaky But Sincere" Pancakes

1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons honey

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt

1/4 nonfat milk - plus 1 Tablespoon extra if batter is too thick

1 large egg separated

2 Tablespoons olive oil (instead of butter - ha-ha!)

1 teaspoon vanilla

(Optional - 1-2 sliced bananas)

Mix the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. 

Mix the yogurt and milk in separate bowl.

Mix egg yolk and olive oil in another separate bowl, then stir into yogurt/milk mixture.

Dump wet ingredients into dry ingredients all at once, whisking until just mixed.

Beat egg whites with electric mixer until stiff peaks form when the beaters are removed.

Gently fold whipped egg whites into remaining batter mixture.

Heat griddle over medium-high heat. 

Brush griddle generously with canola or other cooking oil.

When water splashed on surface sizzles, pour about 1/4 cup of batter per pancake on griddle. (Smooth batter with spoon if batter is very thick.)

**(Optional: Immediately add 5-6 slices of banana to each pancake, then pour a few drops of batter over each banana slice - this keeps bananas from burning when you flip them over.)**

When bubbles appear on the surface of the pancakes - in about 2-3 minutes, flip the cakes and cook until remaining side is brown - estimate 1-2 minutes.

Makes about 8- three inch pancakes.

**Putting bananas in these pancakes makes them so sweet and confection-like, butter and syrup are like overkill.  My wife has eaten these 'on the go' from a napkin - without syrup or butter  - and she's HAPPY!  No more "food mourning!"

DALE J. ANDERSON, M.D.

 

 







WELLNESS WEDNESDAY-
COPOWER YOU WAY TO BETTER HEALTH


We've all seen health news reports that tell us about foods that increase our risk of cancer or heart disease and we get advice from experts who tell us to eliminate or severely limit our consumption of some of our favorite foods. You know, foods like  red meat, fried chicken, ice cream and many other beloved treats.
Lots of us hear this and we think " I don't want to cut back on ( fill in your favorite food )  because I'll be miserable without it." That thought becomes our excuse for eating large quantities of every unhealthy food we eat. That thought rattling around in our heads convinces us that we literally can't improve our nutrition. That thought becomes a locked door between us and better health. 
But there is a key to that locked door. The key is rccognizing that that thought is just another example of a destructive form of thinking known as a NEGATIVE PREDICTION ( Defined as assuming that the future will turn out badly). NEGATIVE PREDICTIONS are irrational by definition because they assume we have the ability to accurately know what the future will be. But when  we're really honest with ourselves we know we've been wrong before, about things we predicted in the future.
How does that help us? Well, all we need to do is write down or type the common sense fact that "It's foolish to predict misery and failure before I've made a strong effort to find a strategy to conquer a problem." "I can look for articles (in print and on the Web) or biographies of people that I respect, who've made healthy changes in what they eat so I can try them out and see if I can still be happy while eating healthier now."
Now tomorrow we'll discover how letting go of NEGATIVE PREDICTIONS can help us get great tasting recipes for health.

Dale J. Anderson, M.D.

MOTIVATIONAL MONDAYS-

CLOSED MINDS CLOSE DOORS and OPEN MINDS OPEN THEM

How's your motivation?  If you've lost your interest in your job or just don't feel motivated for any activity, remember that to feel motivated you need to avoid making NEGATIVE PREDICTIONS 
about the future. When we predict failure before we've made a full effort, we're closing our minds and that closes the door to solving our problems.
How can we open those doors to success whether the problem is in our careers or in our personal lives?
DROP THE NEGATIVE PREDICTIONS.
It's National Women's History Month and we can take inspiration from the stories of courage and determination women have shown in the face of overwhelming odds.Tomorrow I'll introduce you to one of many who did just that by avoiding predictions of failure and keeping her mind open.


Dale J. Anderson, M.D




  

TRANQUIL TUESDAYS-

CONTINUING TO OPEN MINDS AND OPEN DOORS
As I said yesterday,we have a wealth of courageous women who exemplify the open mind that opens the door to victory.Take the case of Sarah Emma Edmonds, born in 1841, who wanted to defend her country when the Civil War broke out, but the law would not allow women to serve in the military. She didn't let that stop her. She cut her hair to a close cropped length, disguised herself as a man, and volunteered. She was rejected.
She didn't let that stop her. She went back again, and again, and finally, on her fourth try, she was accepted. She trained and worked in the medical unit, but she wanted to make even more of a difference and when she found out that a military intelligence agent was needed to go behind enemy lines, she wanted to do that. She had no experience, but...she didn't let that stop her.
She did her homework by studying military weapons, tactics, geography, and any other areas that would prepare her for the work and when she was interviewed, the officer in charge was so impressed that she got the job.
She was given a dangerous mission, but she didn't let that stop her. She disguised herself so carefully that the military doctor with whom she worked didn't recognize her and she went on to complete eleven successful missions, supplying valuable military intelligence to the Union Army.

So if you feel unmotivated or discouraged, just remember the example of AN AMERICAN HERO , SARAH EMMA EDMONDS, WHO (EVEN IN GREAT DANGER, AGAINST THE ODDS) KEPT HER MIND OPEN, DID HER HOMEWORK, AND DIDN'T LET ANYTHING STOP HER.

Dale J. Anderson, M.D

WELLNESS WEDNESDAY

How To Achieve Wellness at No Cost

Some of you may recall that I pointed out that there's been research done that shows that just thinking thoughts of gratitude has been shown to have a beneficial effect on our health. But what if you don't feel you have anything for which to be grateful? Try looking at the previous blogs an EMOTIONAL REASONING and think about that carefully.

Well, nobody said it would be easy, but if it can make you healthier for free, it's worth the effort.

 Without spending a dime, you can write down a list of positive things that you have, and on which you can choose to focus your attention.

Like the eyesight that allows you to read these words, or see the beauty of nature, or see the smile of a friend or a stranger offering help,or the sense of hearing that allows you to communicate your needs and feelings with others, or hear your favorite music, or your sense of touch which allows you to have contact with other people, or your sense of smell which allows you to enjoy the aromas and the taste of good food and the perfume that flowers give to the air, or your ability to breathe. Now, think for a few seconds about what it would be like if suddenly,
without warning one or more of those positive things were taken away.

Now, really think for a few minutes about how good it is to have those positive things and any others that you have in your life (e.g. friends, abilities, home, job, pets, support groups/networks etc.).Write them down in a list and post your list in a prominent place in your home and (if possible) at work. Each day try to add a new item to that list so you give yourself a daily shower of the health benefits of gratitude.

Your mind and body will thank you. 

Dale J. Anderson, M.D.

Tranquil Tuesday -

 "LIFE'S TRYING TO TELL YOU SOMETHING - LISTEN!"

We were thinking yesterday about how to get back that joy and inspiration that we felt had died when big problems overwhelm us. I mentioned how most of us, if we've lived even through childhood, have actually had the experience of healing from injuries over and over again. This is really life teaching us that joy and inspiration are still alive.   But sometimes the pain and the stress of our problems hide those good feelings from us for so long that we become convinced (we feel) that we'll never know them again.


Life teaches us that we need to avoid the trap of Emotional Reasoning (making judgments based primarily on what we feel, and forgetting to consider facts).
Since we've all healed from something , life teaches us that when we begin to look more deeply, we can remember what positive activities we used to pass the time needed for healing...like reading a book, playing a game, writing some poetry, etc. so we can use those methods again. This opens the door for us to begin to help ourselves - AGAIN!


When we read (on the Web or in libraries) about what methods other people have used to solve the same problems we are facing, that plants a seed for healing.When we read about strategies that are positive or scientifically validated, we can give those methods a reasonable trial (with enough time and effort to produce benefits). When you plant a seed, you have to give it enough time and care to sprout and take root.


The best method may involve organizational help, spiritual help , medical care, technical, psychological, nutritional, etc., or some balanced combination of methods. If we keep searching with open minds, we often begin to get enough brief glimpses of joy and inspiration to realize they've only been temporarily hidden, and that by continuing our efforts we'll remove the veil that hid them from us so we can have those wonderful feelings again.


DALE J. ANDERSON, M.D.




DdAELDDDALED

MOTIVATIONAL MONDAY-...FEELINGS AREN'T FACTS... Sometimes events in life seem to lift us up on a wave of happiness and excitement and at other times life seems to be so full of problems, worries, and endless work that it feels like a deadening of that inner part of us where joy and inspiration once lived.
 So what can we do?


We can, first, be wary of making judgments based solely on what "it feels like". Making judgments that way is also known as EMOTIONAL REASONING, and when we use only emotions and we don't make an effort to examine the facts, we can make big mistakes. Like, for example, believing that joy and inspiration have been destroyed forever.That's a tragic mistake.


If we really think deeply about our whole lives, most us can remember having gotten a cut, a bruise,  a sprain, or a fracture and it felt like we would never have the joy of being whole again. And then with time, the right care (and sometimes we had to really search for the best method ), and perseverance, the injury healed and we could feel the joy of being whole again. 


But how does that help us if the problems are more complicated than a simple cut or a bruise? For an answer, ask yourself what do people do if the injury is more serious, like a fracture? When you have your answer...think about  how you  can use that basic principle to begin your journey back to your joy and inspiration and we'll continue the journey tomorrow on TRANQUIL TUESDAY.


             

TRANQUIL TUESDAYS - Feeling Frustrated? Just Let Go, But Not the Way You Think

Millions of us feel frustrated or angry to such a degree that it interferes with our ability to keep our minds on the important tasks for the day and we either don't get as much done as we needed to, or we don't get them done at all.

 We may even be inappropriately irritable with coworkers, friends, or family and snap at them, causing damage to relationships that's hard to repair.

In more cases than we often realize, our frustration comes from our own inner desire to have events in life turn out exactly the way we want, or to have other people behave exactly the way we want.

The problem with that is that no human being has absolute power over all of life's events and no one has instant absolute control over other people's behavior. 

So to have tranquility, JUST LET GO of the desire to control other people and events and, instead, let's  put our  minds on controlling our own thoughts and behaviors.

That's a full time job, but when you keep your mind focussed on that and let go of that other stuff it's amazing what a relief it you can feel.  

TO BE TRANQUIL, LET GO OF WHAT'S OUTSIDE OF YOURSELF AND FOCUS ON WHAT'S INSIDE.

Motivational Mondays- Drill, baby! Drill!

If you are your best friend then repetition is your next best friend. Through repetition (aka. drilling) you learned to read, to talk, to calculate, etc. Scientific data has been mounting from 1932 to now that repetition helps people not only to learn new facts and ideas, but to makes that information instantly available for personal empowerment while costing the mind less storage space like an upgrade for your PC. There's great power in thoughtful repetition of constructive healthy ideas.- Dale J. Anderson, M.D.

TRANQUIL TUESDAYS

It's the last day of National Heart Month.  It's been  proven in scientific studies that depression and anxiety make the heart less healthy.  The reason is that they activate the  "fight or flight" part of your nervous system (a.k.a. sympathetic nervous system) which, when overly active, can overstimulate heart rhythm, speed and the force of the the heart's contractions.

Thoughts that are OPEN TO THE POSSIBILITY OF SOLUTIONS to life's challenges help you create a defense -  A MENTAL SELF DEFENSE - that INSPIRES  and  CALMS  the mind!

                CALM YOUR MIND AND STRENGTHEN YOUR HEART.

                                

Thoughtful Thursday

Our society has a way of teaching us that we’re never good enough, or smart enough, or successful enough, or –whatever enough to be accepted. 

Part of our job is to learn how to accept and love ourselves, not because we believe we’re perfect, because none of us are, but because we recognize that we have good qualities and the potential to do good things for people.

 One way to start is by making a list of your own good qualities and then write some evidence from your life, that supports the fact that you exhibit these good qualities. If you are unable to list anything take that as a sign that you need a partner to do it and get a close friend or a cognitive therapist to help you.

If you’re working with a friend, you can make a similar list for them. If you feel uncertain at all about the qualities on your own list, then you can try visualizing yourself in front of one or more persons (the more, the better) telling them what’s on your list and why. You can try to imagine your voice as you say each word to them in a very convincing tone and repeat your list and the evidence for it until all doubts have been erased.

Wellness Wednesday

For centuries, slow deep breathing has been practiced as a part of certain forms of meditation and as part of developing focused concentration and calmness. 

Multiple scientific studies have shown its benefits for people with hypertension, heart disease, lung disease, anxiety, and excessive stress. 

You can learn how to properly utilize slow deep breathing in Qigong classes, in many yoga meditation classes, and from select psychotherapists who specialize in breathwork.

Tranquil Tuesday

When you’re under a lot of stress, it’s easy to lose perspective and think that “Nothing is worse than what’s happening to me,” but I found a simple experiment helped me regain my perspective:

I asked myself which situation could I handle for a longer time period, bearing my stressful problem or holding my breath. I quickly found the lack of oxygen infinitely more difficult to handle. I couldn’t hold my breath for more than a minute, but I had been bearing with my stressful problems for days. This little experiment, as silly as it sounds, caused a shift in my thinking that made it easier to with my personal life stressors.

Motivational Monday

Feelings of gratitude have been found to increase feelings of happiness in scientific studies (Emmons and McCullough 2003).

Soulful Sunday

Know it or not, the world communes with us. To commune is to share and in every drop of water we drink, breath we take, or morsel of food we eat, the world communes with us. The need for communion; to be in contact with nature and to express and share thoughts and feelings with empathic people, can supply a kind of energy and inspiration that sustains you in the new week. 

Nature is as close as the nearest tree or bird or blade of grass, or the picture in your mind of peaceful nature in a park, field, or forest. If supportive friends or family are not available, empathic people are as close as the local crisis line, community center, ethical society, or religious center.