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.