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Emotional Health

"Mental Health: Keeping Your Emotional Health
What is good emotional health?
People with good emotional health are in control of their thoughts, feelings and behaviors. They feel good about themselves and have good relationships. They can keep problems in perspective.

What about anger?
What can I do to avoid problems?
How does stress affect my emotions?
Can emotional problems be treated?

From Familydoctor.org and  Written by familydoctor.org editorial staff.

How to live a meaningful life: Advice from Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) believed in self-improvement and worked to improve his body, mind, and spirit. In his late 20s he listed thirteen values that he attempted to live by for the rest of his life.

By all accounts, he was successful and he made a daily commitment to incorporating these virtues into his life.  His thirteen virtues – listed below in his own words (along with the original spelling) - can help us live a life of meaning and purpose.

Temperance: Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
Silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.
Order: Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
Frugality: Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.
Industry: Lose no time; be always employ'd in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
Sincerity: Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.
Justice: Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
Moderation: Avoid extreams; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
Cleanliness: Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloaths, or habitation.
Tranquillity:  Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
Chastity: Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another's peace or reputation.
Humility: Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

Benjamin Franklin made it a point to begin and end his day with these questions:
What good shall I do this day?  What good have I done this day?

Important words of wisdom from the past that we can put to good use today.

Download and print a colour poster of Download thirteen_virtues_to_live_by.pdf 

Anger and the Risk of Injury

When you lose your cool - be careful - or you might end up in your local ER with an ingury according to a study by Daniel Vinson reported in the current issue of the Annals of Family Medicine. More than 2000 people who ended up in one of three Missouri county ERs were interviewed about their levels of anger immediately before their injury and 24 hours prior to injury. 

 

Almost one-third aid they were irritable just before being injured with almost 12% stated they felt angry compared to 8% who stated they felt hostile. The greater the level of anger the greater the risk of injury, especially for men. Men who reported being "extremely angry "the risk of being injured was seven fold.

 

According to the Daniel Vinson, study's author , "The association between anger and injury was much stronger in men than women. Men may get more angry, may act on their anger, or they may get distracted by their anger."

 Annals of Family Medicine - original article

Getting Over Anger: Individual counselling and anger management telecourse for women with Lucy MacDonald, Canadian Certified Counsellor

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Quit Smoking in 2006

I't's that time of year again smokers.

American Lung Association
Giving Up Smoking (U.K.)
Never Take Another Puff pdf book from www.WhyQuit.com
www.quitchallenge.ca (Canada)
Health Canada
E-Quit – (Canada) “These free daily e-mail messages will support you through your quitting process, one day at a time. E-Quit will prepare you to quit smoking 20 days after you receive the first message. You will receive a new e-mail each day for the next 8 weeks

Canadian Helplines and Listening Services

A list of some Canadian counseling, referral and listening resources if you need someone to talk to:

 

Bereaved Families of Ontario  

"We provide a place for you to discuss your experiences and learn about grief with others who have been there. We give you a chance to talk, in a confidential setting, about how your loss affects your life. By sharing with others who have been there, you may learn how to cope by gaining insight into your own thoughts and feelings."
Distress Centers Ontario 

"Distress Centres Ontario is a provincial network that facilitates, promotes and works to build the capacity of community based agencies engaged in activities related to suicide prevention and improving the quality of life for Ontarians experiencing mental health problems."
Kids Help Phone Canada: “Angry? Lonely? Or just need someone to talk to? Are you having problems at home or at school? A 24-hour, bilingual and anonymous phone counselling, referral and Internet service for children and youth.

TEEN TOUCH is a Manitoba-based and volunteer driven Teen Touch organization which give young Manitobans the tools to handle real life problems through: a 24 hour telephone Helpline, an Internet self-help and online Virtual Help program, and by delivering a classroom-based outreach and information program.
Parent Help Line Canada
"Parent Help Line offers parents and caregivers access to information, support and referral 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It’s anonymous, bilingual and free from anywhere in Canada.
Big Cove Health - lNew Brunswick list of resources
Tele-care Helpline  - Haliburton County Ontario 

 “Are you.... Lonely? In crisis? Depressed? Call Telecare Help Line and talk to someone who cares. All Telecare workers are volunteers, and all conversations are held in the strictest confidence. We can help by referring you to the appropriate agency,or just by listening.” 

 

 counselling, Canada, Canadian, Ontario, helpphone, counsellor, counselor, grief, loneliness, telephone_counselling

Road Rage

If you are an angry, aggressive driver chances are you think you are a pretty good driver and the fault lies with other drivers. Aggressive driving includes honking the horn, flashing your headlights rolling down your window at yelling, obscene gestures, and swearing. The typical aggressive driver is young, male, extrovert, highly stressed, competitive, and impatient. Aggressive drivers will run more red lights, speed, and get into more accidents.

Some suggestions for managing anger while driving:

• Give yourself plenty of time to get where you need to go. We often get angry and stressed when we are running late and do not anticipate possible delays due to traffic, weather conditions, etc.
• Listen to music that you enjoy and that you know puts you in a good mood.
• Use deep breathing as a way to slow down your heart rate and keep your cool.
• Try being cooperative. Let other cars merge into your lane, use your signals, don't tailgate.

If you are struggling with managing your anger studies show that anger management counselling is effective is reducing the amount of road rage people experience. Anger isn't good for your health nor your driving!

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Anger is Bad for Your Heart

If you have difficulty managing your anger you are putting your cardiac health at risk according to a study researcher Dr. Edward Suarez.

Anger, hostility and depression appears to increase the levels of C-reactive protein which is implicated with narrowing of the arteries and heart disease. C-reactive protein is released in the boyd when, among other things, you are stressed. According to the  study published in Psychosomatic Medicine (Sept 2004) the findings point to the possibility that 50% of heart attacks are linked to how we manage our anger, hostility and depression. Other studies show that people who are chronically anger have a three times greater risk of having a heart attack.  (Circulation Vol. 101, No. 17).

 

Learning to manage anger:

People who find a way to manage their anger constructively have lower resting blood pressure than people whose coping skills are weak. (Karina Davidson, PhD, International Journal of Behavioral Medicine (Vol. 6, No. 3).

 

It seems that how long you stay angry is the biggest risk factor and learning how to manage your anger so that you shorten the length of time that you are angry is a good place to start in your step towards anger management.

 

Getting Over Anger: Teleclasses and individual counselling with Lucy MacDonald, M.Ed. Canadian Certified Counsellor lucy@lucymacdonald.com

.

 counselling, counseling, counsellor, counselor anger, anger_management, heart

Mental Health Resources

A list of some mental health resources in Canada and the U.S.

Canadian Counselling Association www.ccacc.ca
Child and Youth Mental Health - British Columbia www.mcf.gov.bc.ca/mental_health/index.htm
About Bipolar.com  www.bipolar.about.com
Canadian Mental Health Association www.cmha.ca
Health Canada http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/index_e.html
Mental Health @ About.com www.mentalhealth.about.com
Center for Addiction and Mental Health http://www.camh.net/about_camh/
World Federation for Mental Health http://www.wfmh.com/
Mental Health Roundtable  www.mentalhealthroundtable.ca
Mental Health Recovery www.namiscc.org/MentalHealthRecovery.htm
National Mental Health Association (US) www.nmha.org
Canadian Mental Health Association - Ontario www.ontario.cmha.ca

Mood Disorders Society http://www.mooddisorderscanada.ca/links.htm

Technorati Tags : counselling, counseling, mental_health, bipolar

Depression Can Be a Pain in the Butt

Depression, it seems, can be a pain in the butt - literally. Alyssa Schwartz writes at C-Health, about the Nurses' Health Study, an longterm study of over 121,000 female nurses by researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Harvard School of Public Health.

Women who indicated the highest levels of depression had a 43% greater risk of developing colorectal cancer than women with the lowest level of depression. More bad news - the correlation was greatest for women who were overweight. The good news - 90% of colorectol cancer cases are curable!  Losing extra weight is possible and has a positive impact on your health, both mental and physical.

Some colon cancer resources: Colorectol Cancer Network, Colorectol Cancer Association of Canada, Colon Cancer Alliance, Colon Cancer - Mayo Clinic, Colon Cancer Canada.

Some depresson resources: Canadian Mental Heath Association, Canadian Counselling Association, American Counselling Association, American Mental Health Counsellors Association, Australian Mental Health and Well-Being, Australian Counselling Association, British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy

Technorati Tags : depression, counselling, cancer, mental, health, health, and, wellness

 

Is it the Holiday Blues or Depression?

Sometimes the blues spill over into depression. How do you know if it is a case of the holiday blues or depression? A clinically depressed person typically experiences at least five of the following symptoms during the same two-week period.  One of the symptoms must be either (1) persistent sadness or (2)loss of interest.

1. Persistent sadness
2. Loss of interest in things that you usually consider important
3. Eating more or less than usual
4. Sleeping more or less than usual
5. Lack of physical energy
6. Difficulty concentrating, making decisions
7. Deep, generalized pessimism and/or unwarranted feelings of guilt
8. Feelings of worthlessness
9. Thoughts of death or suicide
   (adapted from the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual). (DSM-IV)
   
   If you think you are struggling with depression here are some counselling resources:
   American Counseling Association, Canadian Counsellling Association, International Counseling Association

Depression e-books $6.99: Men and Depression, Women and Depression,

Technorati Tags : depression, counselling, counseling