A Mental Approach to Terrorism

The civilized world keeps going through the same cycle of violence. Some misguided or deranged person(s) decide to grab center stage and kill people to foster their “so-called cause”. This could be a committed terrorist(s) intent on defending or promoting their faulty belief system and/or a mentally ill individual(s) who follows voices in their heads or misguided paths/gurus/martyrs, real or imagined.

The reaction is total frustration and angst from the majority of worldwide citizens and a call for more regulation of gun control, transportation systems, government services, border control, etc.

It can be argued that they are all mentally ill! Taking someone else’s life to support a personal vendetta is not only totally insane, but against the ethics, morals and religious basics of all civilized people in the world. Nowhere does the Quran/Bible tell their followers to kill people.

But the real issue the civilized world faces is mental instability, whether it is inherit or from brain washing and/or false belief systems. In the US, 20% or 44,000,000 US Adults suffer from a “mental health condition” in a given year and 10,000,000 suffer from a “serious mental illness”. Less than half (41%), or 4,100,000 of these “seriously mental ill” people have ever received mental health services in the past year. 

These “serious” cases also contribute to 33% of all hospitalization for the 18-44-year-old adult group. In essence, we have millions of “seriously mental ill” people who have the possibility of walking or driving on our streets that are susceptible to misguided propaganda or demons in their heads.

Certainly we need to have the best data collection system like the FBI NBCI (National Background Check Inc.) for gun ownership applications and cooperation from all relative sources in order to identify potential threats, whether foreign or domestic. But most people understand that if someone really wants to obtain a gun or weapon, there are many sources other than the normal channels for possession.

What would help to reduce our collective stress and angst is to have a fair and open system to identify “seriously mental ill” people and to have support programs for their rehabilitation or hospitalization. It can be argued that radical terrorists are mentally ill and qualify for the program. Funding would certainly be easier under the guidelines that this program is to identify and remove fanatics and potential threats to our safety while helping to provide the proper care for the “seriously mental ill” who are currently not receiving treatment for various reasons. It would be the old “two birds with one stone” card.

Think about it. It makes sense. It would be a helpful treatment program for millions of “seriously mentally ill” people in need; would help reduce our crime rate and homeless population; and would help to isolate and treat potential threats to our society through acts of terrorism.

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Your unopened gift to yourself!

 As far as we know, we are given two lives in this world. The first is the one we are born with, and the other is the one we make for ourselves. It seems logical that most of humanity wants to feel good and to improve their lot in life. The U.S. “Self Help” industry thrives on this want/need creating over $12 Billion in sales selling self-improvement products and programs covering mind, body and soul.

If you are in the 20% of people worldwide that have mental issues, from anxiety to depression, then the desire to overcome these feelings or conditions becomes paramount and complicates your work to conquer these issues before you move up into the self-improvement phase.

However, the point is that we all want to make ourselves and our conditions better, no matter how financially well off we may be. There are probably more “miserable millionaires/billionaires” than the “average Joes” that live pay check to pay check. Research has postulated that even impoverished people are happy. However, they are not happy about being poor and would love to improve their conditions of constant stress and anxiety about food, clothing and shelter. However, since their condition has not improved over the years with their constant struggles, they may have adjusted their thinking/actions to accept their condition and have learned to be happy with what they have or don’t have (This is arguably a self-improvement goal unto itself). It seems the value of family/community/friends is a strong component of their lives and contributes to their well-being, just as it does with wealthy people.

So, wherever you are in life, look on the “bright” side and do what you can to learn and improve your place in life. Once you start to get there, then you will begin to feel better and become a better person. It is truly a gift to yourself. You will marvel at how complex,beautiful and and mysterious life is as we all learn to co-habitat with the other 10-14 million life forms on our planet. When you start to get to this point, you will then have the capacity to help others less fortunate in their quest for life improvement.

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It is always in your mind!

Our minds are extremely powerful and flexible.  Whether you want to program your brain to increase memory retention or train for the Olympics, you just need to know the best approach methods, which really just come down to "thought control". This is why positive thinking and prayer are so good for you. You are really telling your mind how to deal with your personal challenges so you can feel better and be productive. Negative thoughts work just as well, but you don't want to go there unless you desire to be “Debbie Downer”.

 One of the best ways that you can start to feel better about yourself and your existence, is to develop a positive and comprehensive “World View” of life. That is to say, you will need to do your research, reading and investigation into how we all got here and where we are probably going. It need not conflict with your religious beliefs!

You will start to feel an absolute “unbelievable awe” when you start to comprehend your actual existence and of all the living creatures that have evolved over time with humans.  Your brain, just 3 pounds of tissue and electricity, has the unexplained capability to create a “conscious mind”, which can try and comprehend this beautiful existence.

However, if you are experiencing mental issues, about 20 % of the population, then you have an automatic “blockage” which will impact how soon all this could happen.

In the US, 18% of the population has an “anxiety” issue and 7% are “depressed”. Both are considered mental illnesses, which together have a high rate of co-morbidity.

It is bad enough when you experience the mind chattering anxiety of a “monkey brain” worrying about things that you shouldn’t, but depression can actually create a “suicidal mentality” when nothing in the world is worth living.

However, you can work through your mental health issues faster when you can wrap your head around an “awe inspiring” world view. Research is paramount and a good and trusted counselor can help you break the ice and facilitate the process. Spirituality is an important part of the mix.

You owe it to yourself to try it. You will not be sorry.

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"If you think you can or you think you can't-You are right!"

 This famous quote from Henry Ford is spot on. We all live in a world of beliefs

and some, if not all, are founded on false assumptions. 

To date, there has never been verifiable proof that Ghosts,UFO's/Aliens,God,Unicorns, and Life after death exist. 

Yet,45% believe in Ghosts (Huffington Post), 36% believe in UFO's and 77% believe Aliens have visited earth (Ntl. Geographic),74% believe in God (Harris Poll), and 6% believe in Unicorns.All of these beliefs are hard to understand and justify considering there is no solid evidence to support them.It is all based on faith and they are all very real to the believers.

So, if you are experiencing sever stress, anxiety, or depression, then it is time to ramp up your belief system and tell yourself that you are a victim to a wayward, misguided mind. You are going to take over from here and heal your thinking with positive affirmations.

Our slogan hits right to the core of mental illness- "It's amazing how good you can feel when your mind is in shape"®

Let's take your treatment to the next level and you be in control of your thoughts, because thoughts have feelings and only the positive thoughts will help you conquer your fears and unfounded beliefs.

Come see us at www.stressless.com.

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The "Fight or Flight" response was first proposed by Walter Cannon in 1929. It basically states that all animals, when confronted with a stressful situation, will either fight the proposed threat or flee. 

Unfortunately, human beings (we animals) have unwittingly continued to increase our own stressful environments via constant communication, population growth, environmental degradation, etc. We keep our minds in a constant "fight" posture that drains our physical and mental resources.

Western civilization, (that's us again), has also embedded in our way of thinking an aggressive stance to life or it's injustices, by always wanting "to fight" to solve the issue at hand. We "fight" cancer, zoning ordinances, sports contests, extradition, city/state/US laws, job titles, child custody, and on and on. Everything seems to be a battle and we are in a perpetual defensive or offensive position-
The "Battle of the Bands", "Battle of the sexes"etc.

In the early days of civilization, people could move away from stressful situations or other people without much fuss. However, with our overpopulated and totally wired earth, we now have the ability to see and talk to anyone anywhere in the world, whenever we like. This supposed improved communication network has drastically reduced our options for fleeing. Matter of fact a recent study stated that the average person checks their cellphones over 150 times per day and on vacations.

Is it any wonder that we all are facing increased levels of self imposed stress which has led to "heart disease" as the number one killer of both men and women. Neuroscience experts believe humans have reached the upper limits of future physical brain expansion in our skulls and we are running "21st" Century software that continues to increase the need for a bigger brain. Physics will tell you that this convergence will create even more serious mental/physical issues with the increased stress levels.

So what to do? First, step back and evaluate your daily life patterns and see if you can find time to "detach" from it all. Take your vacation time with no communication devices. Learn how to relax both mentally and physically. Take a walk.Devote one day for yourself and do not watch tv, listen to radio, or talk on the phone/read text messages. Unplug for one day and see how better you will feel. Make it a habit because we are all in the fourth quarter of life and we know we will lose this game. So, relax and have fun.

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"You've got your troubles, I've got mine!"

No truer words were ever spoken than the title of the 60's hit song made popular by the Fortunes.

 

It has significance to all lost souls battling stress, anxiety or depression. We seem to wrap ourselves in self pity and feel sorry for ourselves, when the other person is probably or likely going through a rougher patch than you. When you walk down the street or look out of the car or office window at other people, try to imagine what may be bothering them. Allow some empathy to enter your world, for we are all on the same planet for just a brief period of time and we all experience life's challenges.

 

It is probably fair to say that there have been millions or even billions of people that have come before us that have experienced the same, if not worse, situations that you may be going through at this time.

 

Some of our fore fathers allowed their "illness" to take over their lives and remained miserable until they passed on, sometimes at their own calling. Others learned how to cope and have gone on to accomplish wonderful things for themselves and others.

Abraham Lincoln fought clinical depression all his life, and if he were alive today, his condition would be treated as a "character issue"—that is, as a political liability. His condition was indeed a character issue: it gave him the tools to save the nation. He also lost his son and his wife went "bonkers" with the loss of their child.

 

Lincoln is a great role model for handling intense stress and melancholy. He battled his demons and losses with humor and logic to bring the US together and release the grip of servitude to help make us all better.

 

If you can step back from your issues and see all of  humanity having their own struggles, it helps put your issues in context of the bigger picture. It will help lessen your fears, so you can, with confidence, control or eliminate your "demons" and learn to deal with them in a healthy, constructive manner.

 

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Stress Less® Worldview

The world is actually changing right before our eyes and whether we like it or not, we both benefit and suffer at the same time!

We are all witnessing the first and only "coming together" of the global economic system where we can see on a daily basis the "cause and effects" of different countries/economies (European Union) and how these changes affects on our own lives and personal finances.

The "Globalization" of technologies that connect us like satellites, cables, wireless, internet, mobile phones etc. have created an instantaneous communication that was predicted and now is real and operating. Continents, countries, unions, republics, states, cities, towns, households, families, and individuals are now able to connect, communicate, trade, educate or negotiate in an instant.

On one level it is a marvelous feat of engineering to be able to connect to anyone in the world, anytime you choose. On the other level, it begins a period of "uncharted waters" where we try to sort out how this system will really work and what are the real affects it will have on our societies and personal lives.

Stress is basically described as your competence or level of control you feel that you have on your situation. When you lose this control, you experience various  degrees of stress. As an example, you have a checking account and have enough money in the bank to feel good. However, when that money is depleted and bills are still due, for any number of reasons, you begin to feel the stress. And as the money is reduced, your stress levels go up in proportion. If you have the ability to control the situation and replenish your account, you may go back to feeling less stress. However, when you have no ability to refurbish your bank account, you begin to experience chronic stress and this starts an internal release of hormones/chemicals that will eventually destroy your body and reduce your life span, unless you learn how to manage your stress levels.

Control is everything! However, now that the day-to-day level of control is being driven by the instantaneous worldwide system we have built, we are not sure of how we can control our levels of stress. In a split second, the floor can come out from  just a tiny event. A small, apparently insignificant, place in the world could affect each of us or maybe a select few. We have no control over this and it is exacerbated by everyone having exposure to this event and their potential reactions.

So, how can we solve this dilemma? First and foremost, understand your stress level and what causes them.

 Learn  different stress management techniques you can incorporate into your daily life (breathing, meditation, visualization ,relaxation, prayer etc). Expand your worldview to incorporate our new global reality and that all people come from the same place, and most think similar thoughts and share the same emotional makeup and aspirations to succeed and be good in life.

Try to adopt a "healthy" lifestyle with a good combination of diet, exercise, sleep and relaxation.

And maybe most important, have a good basic level of "trusted and true" friends in a social network that you can talk to and socialize with. Have a "confidant" you can release your frustrations and feelings to and try to get a good "feedback" relationship where your trusted secrets are shared with each other or a group.

The world is moving fast and all we can do is just hang on and do our part to fit in without getting overwhelmed, because eventually "good will and fairness"  will overcome the "evil" in human affairs.

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