The Season of giving “time” to the lonely

Studies have shown that nearly 25% of the US population consider themselves “lonely”. Contrary to what we would normally expect, loneliness covers all age groups where no age bracket is immune from feeling lonely.

Loneliness produces unpleasant and distressing feelings where severe and prolonged exposure can affect one’s mental state leading to depression or suicide. It normally occurs when your social network is deficient in either quality or quantity. It is a very subjective experience where you can be “alone without feeling lonely” or can be “alone in a crowd”

Your feelings can range from being anxious, unhappy, hostile, bored, empty, and restless. There are basically three main clusters of lonely people:

1-You feel isolated, different, unloved, inadequate, or friendless.

2-You have negative feelings of depression, sadness, anger, and paranoia.

3-You avoid social contacts and work long hours.

It is strange that the elevated loneliness levels were among the youngest and oldest adults. Late life can be explained by lower income levels, functional limitations and lower level of singles available. Universally, the quantity of relationships (social engagement, # friends, and contact frequency) was a major factor in all age groups.

So if the US has roughly 321 million people, then 25% would be 80 million “lonely” people. Maybe we should make adjustments for the under 10 years old group, but believe it or not, they can experience loneliness and isolation. Just look at the world refugee crisis now.

This Holiday Season would be a great time for all of us who have the means to give ourselves to helping the lonely with our time and concern. It would be a most welcome gift and one day we would appreciate the efforts when we are feeling lonely.

Come see us at www.stressless.com

Happiness = Giving

During this holiday season make yourself happy by giving to the less fortunate which is a researched and proven fact.

In the journal Science, social psychologist Liz Dunn demonstrates that people's sense of happiness is greater when they spend relatively more on others than on themselves. In one survey of over 600 U.S. citizens, the research found that spending money on others predicted greater happiness whereas spending money on oneself did not, no matter what the income levels. In other words, even those with little money reported greater happiness when their spending on others, relative to the self, was greater.

Dunn conducted another study which gave College students an envelope containing money and told them that they either (1) had to spend the money on themselves before 5 p.m. that day or (2) had to spend the money on someone else before 5 p.m. Those who gifted for others were happier than those who gifted for themselves.

"Happiness does not come from material things, but rather from a deep, genuine concern for others' happiness" -Dalai Lama

The economy is getting better, unemployment is down, and people are increasing their financial resources, so there should be more wealth and opportunity to give. Find a great cause that you like and start the process of giving. It will be a great feeling and put a smile on other’s faces.

Who ever said money can’t buy happiness?

Come see us at www.stressless.com

Relaxation Programs should be a part of your daily exercise!

Whether you have a severe case of stress or anxiety or you just feel fine, relaxation programs should be a part of your daily exercise routine. They are very inexpensive and have no risks or side effects. Relaxation can reduce or eliminate some of the medications you may be using and helps you to keep a positive mind/body connection.

There are many techniques to consider including:

-Progressive Muscle Relaxation

-Autogenic Training

-Breathing

-Meditation

-Self Hypnosis

-Yoga/Tai Chi

-Guided Imagery

-Massage

These relaxation techniques benefit you by lowering your heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, and stress hormones. They will raise your blood flow in the major muscles and help relieve muscle pain/tension. The end benefit is improved mood, concentration and confidence.

What are you waiting for?

Come see us at www.stressless.com

Relaxation Programs should be a part of your daily exercise!

Whether you have a severe case of stress or anxiety or you just feel fine, relaxation programs should be a part of your daily exercise routine. They are very inexpensive and have no risks or side effects. Relaxation can reduce or eliminate some of the medications you may be using and helps you to keep a positive mind/body connection.

There are many techniques to consider including:

-Progressive Muscle Relaxation

-Autogenic Training

-Breathing

-Meditation

-Self Hypnosis

-Yoga/Tai Chi

-Guided Imagery

-Massage

These relaxation techniques benefit you by lowering your heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, and stress hormones. They will raise your blood flow in the major muscles and help relieve muscle pain/tension. The end benefit is improved mood, concentration and confidence.

What are you waiting for?

Come see us at www.stressless.com

Stress Less® this Thanksgiving

Our annual holiday is upon us and millions of people are traveling by air, train, bus, and car to celebrate this festive occasion that can be wrought with the normal stress and conflict among families. This year’s election is an added time bomb for dissension.

Unfortunately, there are an estimated 26-45% of the US population who do not have family to celebrate with and suffer the indignities of loneliness and isolation which can lead to mental and physical issues. It is a sad state of affairs and needs our attention since our population is growing older and couples, friends, and family will be dying leaving the living sometimes in isolation.

Life can be unfair and one of the best ways to face the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holiday seasons are to count your blessings for the family and social network you do have and to continue to seek out more people connections. Be nice and polite even if you have to grit your teeth, because we are all social animals that need to belong and connect with other humans to live a positive life.

Live well, eat well, and be well with your network of family and friends. It is just plain good for your mental and physical health.

Come see us at www.stressless.com

What is wrong with America and our weight?

You would think in the country with the best medical systems and information about good health that the majority of us would be sensitive about being obese.

The stats are telling: More than one-third (35.7 percent) of adults are considered to be obese. More than 1 in 20 (6.3 percent) have extreme obesity. Almost 3 in 4 men (74 percent) are considered to be overweight or obese. The prevalence of obesity is similar for both men and women (about 36 percent).

Surely, everyone has heard or read that obesity is not good for your heart and can lead to diabetes and other maladies.

The simple solution is to eat balanced and proportioned meals and engage in regular exercise. But, it appears this is not working and the motivation is lacking. You are ok with the status quo because it requires no discipline, until that heart attack or diabetes hits you, and if you are lucky to live, you will probably start a weight reduction program, but that could be short lived also.

It is depressing to walk down the street and see how many people are truly overweight/obese. They are literally signing their own bad health or death warrant that will cost more in time and money to correct, if possible.

Think about how good you will feel when you do something good for your body and mind with weight loss and exercise a daily part of your life. You can exercise and lose weight with discipline. Let’s get going for yourself and loved ones.

Come see us at www.stressless.com

Election Angst

Here we are, 24 hours from a new United States president, and it seems everyone in the world is in angst of the most contentious mudslinging campaign in US history. It is downright embarrassing for US citizens who deserve better candidates to lead our nation.

Neither side can really “win” knowing that all semblance of maturity and decorum were tossed out the window two years ago when the campaigning began in earnest. The lies, scandals, name calling, and innuendo were like two prize fighters going the full 10 rounds trying to demolish their opponents. Yet from the voter’s viewpoint, it was like two criminals exposing their intimate personal details and hoping they came out slightly ahead of their opponent. Utterly disgusting and unwarranted.

One can only hope that this universally observed and condemned behavior will create a more conscious and civil political system that will work for the common good to achieve a fair and just governmental process/system.

Whoever wins will need to make their first priority a nation healing civility campaign and lead the charge for cooperation and compromise in the Senate and House. Nothing in this campaign has a place in future US politics. Both the Democratic and Republican parties need to set up decency standards for all their members and have strict rules of conduct to avoid this embarrassment again.

It has been an extraordinarily stressful and anxiety riddled campaign that we all wish had never happened and hopefully will never happen again. This will also come down to the electorate to insist on new rules of conduct in the election and campaigning process and to hold their respective parties “feet to the fire”. The US has created its own “black eye” in this fight and needs to get involved to make sure we raise the bar on election politics and “negative” campaigning.

Come see us at www.stressless.com