That's Fit

For my brother's 30th birthday party, we held a special costume party. Guests were asked to dress how they thought they might look 30 years down the road. I dressed up as a "cat lady." I lived alone at the time in a tiny upstairs apartment with two cats, and had taken in my grandparent's cat as well, while they vacationed in Florida. The costume didn't seem to be too far off the mark, all those cats in that little space. My friends and family nodded knowingly.

Fortunately for everyone involved, the cat population in my apartment decreased after that winter. But though my costume was meant to be funny, animal hording is a rare but serious condition. You hear about it every now and then on the news -- a person discovered with an alarming number of animals in their home, sometimes numbering in the hundreds. Often, these people are arrested for neglect ,and the animals that are not adoptable euthanized.

MSNBC has an interesting article on why animal hording happens. It often stems, they say, from an abusive or traumatic childhood where animals become the only stable force for a child. In some cases, care-giving becomes compulsive. The condition isn't an isolated diagnosis, but often stems from a combination of attachment disorders, addictive behavior, and personality disorders. It's a sad situation for all involved -- human and animals alike -- but with treatment, people who horde animals can learn to control their behavior.

Feeling down? Wish your life were different? I've got good news for you. Research shows that nearly half of the reason we feel happy or sad has to do with our thoughts and actions. This is good news because we can control those things. Our emotions are also controlled by our genetic makeup and life circumstances, things we can't control. But the rest of it, well...it's up to you how you feel.

So what can you do to improve your mood?

• Get outside your comfort zone and try new things.
• Notice things you are grateful for and write it down at least three times a week.
• Write down negative thoughts and analyze them. Restate them in a positive way.
• Quit rehashing what is in the past. When you find yourself doing this, get up and get active.
  
• Participating in social gatherings, even if you don't feel like it.
• Speak up. Interacting with other people can lighten your mood.
• Do something nice for someone else.
• Avoid negative people.
• Eat a balanced diet and exercise regularly.
• Drink plenty of water.
• Add healthy fats to your diet, especially omega-3s.
• Make your world beautiful, with flowers, music, and scented oils.

What kinds of things brighten your mood when you're feeling blue?

Depression, unfortunately, is no stranger in our society these days. It can take many forms, from a brief period of passing sadness to an unshakable chronic state of the blues. In the worst of cases suicide becomes a real threat, and recognizing the symptoms can mean the difference between saving somebody's life or letting them die from a treatable illness.

The symptoms of suicide, courtesy of WebMD:

• Talking about suicide/killing oneself
• Frequently talking or thinking about death in general
• Making self-depreciating and negative comments about being worthless, helpless, or hopeless
• Making statements like "it would be better if i wasn't here " or "I want out"
• Losing interest in things they used to care about

A scientific review came out this past week that questioned the effectiveness of many treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). With thousands of veterans returning from Iraq on a regular basis, the determination on what works and what does not is more important than ever.

One treatment, though, has been proven to work -- exposure therapies. This therapy simulates the conditions of trauma so that coping skills can be developed. But other than that, there is a lack of evidence for other therapies -- but that does not mean patients should give them up.

The report stated that therapy should not be discontinued for PTSD patients, saying that "we do the best we can with what we've got." However, the report also stated that "we need better," in reference to specific, verifiable treatments for PTSD.

If you ask most people, they'll probably tell you that work is what causes, not helps their depression. However, researchers have found that employees who take place in workplace intervention programs often have fewer symptoms, and are more likely to recover.

And these programs are often just as beneficial to employers. Intervention helps lessen the severity of workers' depression -- thus increasing productivity while the employees find help, and work towards recovery.

Seeing as the World Health Organization estimates that 121 million people suffer from depression worldwide, which leads to tens of billions of dollars lost every year in worker productivity, it only makes sense that companies should start seeking out, and giving assistance to employees who need help.

There's been plenty of spin-offs on the popular book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People -- some helpful, some not. If nothing else, this most-recent addition is an interesting twist. The Positivity Blog has outlined seven ineffective habits -- behaviors that you should avoid as you attempt to be more successful in life.

Here's a few bad habits from the list:

1. Not showing up. Essentially, this tip is geared towards people who should be more proactive in their day-to-day lives. If you want to be at the gym, or you want to write more, or you're hoping for more time with your kids, show up, and make it happen.

2. Procrastinating. This is my bad habit. I always putz around with pseudo-work in order to avoid the task I find most daunting. If that sounds familiar, get around it by tackling the tough jobs first, and leave the easy stuff for later.

3. Thinking too much. Don't get me wrong, planning, and being thoughtful are important. However (and this ties in with number 1), thinking too much often means that you're not doing anything.

Most of this is stuff you've probably heard before, but it's worth a read if you're looking to get out of a rut, or just need a new perspective. For the rest of the list, check out this post on The Positivity Blog.

We all have a little voice that reminds us every time we're wrong. While, for the most part, it's good to self-aware (no one wants to be completely blind to their faults), this critical voice can really hold you back.

While it might sound trite, it's important to remember that there's no point in beating yourself up over every little mistake. It's not easy, but the more you work at accepting the principal that there are no complete failures, only learning opportunities, the more you can turn your self-awareness into a productive part of your personality.

As noted on the Life Coaches blog, "the critical voice will have some pretty smart suggestions. Just gotta remember to stop him from being such a crank."

The increasing prevalence of war, poverty and diseases have wreaked havoc on many countries known to the civilized world as "third world" nations. But that's not all -- these damaging actions are leaving behind a larger amount of mental health illnesses as well since many of these countries cannot respond to such maladies adequately.

Should strategies to fight the downward trajectory of mental health exist alongside HIV drug treatments in some of these countries, for example? According to some health experts, yes. It can't come too soon.

The condition of nations could reach a level of not ever being able to recover if physical problems are compounded by mental health issues, right? Spotting the signs of mental illness and ensuring treatment is interjected as son as possible is at the root of trying to decrease the amount of illnesses like schizophrenia, depression, obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety, according to medical specialists.

One of my biggest causes of stress is procrastination. I'm a fairly busy person, so there's always something I could be doing -- which makes it easy to put off the less-desirable tasks until they have to get done...or else.

But do those things really "have to" get accomplished?

Apparently, using that kind of language -- even in my thoughts -- may be part of what's causing my procrastination in the first place.

According to Litemind, "we engage in mental dialogs with ourselves all the time," and those of us that procrastinate try and force ourselves into action by thinking we "have to" go to the dentist, or fill out tax forms, or do whatever unpleasant activity we've been avoiding.

However, instead of helping motivating us, language like this is actually counter-productive, as inherent in "have to" statements are other messages, like "I don't want to do it," or "they're making me do it" -- both of which are detrimental.

Instead, Litemind recommends giving yourself the power of choice -- accepting that, on some level, you're choosing to do everything (even avoiding trouble with the government by paying your taxes on time). So, next time, try "I choose to" as opposed to "I have to" and see if makes those chores a little less oppressive.

What drives workaholics to keep pushing, even when most normal people would give up and call it a day? A recent study suggests that it's not money, prestige, or an obsessive nature -- but rather a tepid sex life.

In a study of 32,000 men and women, researchers discovered that -- of those who reported having a lackluster sex lives -- 35 percent channeled that frustration into extra work. Among those who reported having no sex at all, the number was even greater -- with 45 percent voluntarily putting in extra hours on the job.

Let's hope this doesn't get into the hands of any corporate CEOs. I have a sneaking suspicion that this might become the new "genius" plan to increase worker productivity.

You'd think it'd be tough to slug it out, day after day, doing research on the barren, icy landscapes of the North and South Poles. Seems like the harsh conditions and lack of human contact must get to you, right?

Absolutely -- and now there's proof.

According to researchers, people who spend a significant amount of time at these isolated outposts are often afflicted by a cocktail of psychological problems, which scientists have called "polar madness." While some actually feel better after conquering a difficult polar expedition, most suffered depression, sleep disruption, anger, irritability and conflict with co-workers.

Not only are those that travel to the poles inhabiting a place that can be dark or light for months at a time (depending on the time of year), but their only human contact is with the same handful of people -- day in, and day out, sometimes for up to a year.

For the hundreds of people that live in the 47 permanent stations at the North and South poles, it seems that, instead of the terrain, their greatest challenge might just be staying sane.

I adopted my son from the foster care system. He suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder due to events that occurred before he entered foster care. PTSD bleeds into so many areas of his life now -- for example, he has a hair-trigger response to fear; little noises or other things that wouldn't even startle most people shake him to the core. Childhood trauma isn't the only cause of PTSD -- any traumatic event can leave someone with some or all of the symptoms. In a nutshell, PTSD is created when the brain is unable to stop replaying events or experiencing the fear and other emotions associated with a significant traumatic event or time period.

Other than therapy and antidepressants, there is no standard treatment for PTSD at this time. A current study blocked an enzyme called Cdk5 in the brains of mice that had been given mild foot shocks. Mice who had received the foot shock, but hadn't had the enzyme blocked, exhibited symptoms of fear when put in the same environment where they had been previously shocked. Mice who had Cdk5 blocked, didn't exhibit fear symptoms.

The research is preliminary and is a long way from being applicable to humans, but it does give hope that someday there may be a treatment for PTSD.

At various times throughout my life, I've been told to meditate -- but, to be honest, it's always seemed a little weird. My brother is into martial arts, so he's long used the practice to find inner peace and harmony (or something), and he's since converted my dad, who claims it's the best way to wind down after a long day.

So, even though I find it hard to imagine sitting still for any serious amount of time, I've been thinking maybe I should give meditation a chance.

After a little Internet searching, I found this helpful article to get me started. Apparently there's a number of benefits to meditation, including improved concentration, less preoccupation with small problems, better overall health, and "a deeper understanding of [my] inner self."

Sounds good.

As you might suspect, you won't get the most out of meditation until you've spent some time practicing, but here's a few pointers to get you started.

1. Sit with a straight back -- if you lay down, you'll probably fall asleep.
2. Don't eat before meditating, or you'll feel too lethargic.
3. You don't need to sit like Buddha (in the "lotus" position).
4. You don't need to burn incense (unless you want to).
5. Meditation works best early in the morning, so try it right when you wake up.

For more info, check out this post on Pick the Brain.

Friday the 13th is -- by far -- the most infamous date on the calendar. For many it's a day that symbolizes bad luck -- just like black cats, walking under ladders, or breaking a mirror. Subsequently, many researchers have searched for a correlation between this date and increased health risk -- but, as of yet, haven't found anything.

Regardless, some people still live in fear of Friday the 13th. Technically called paraskavedekatriaphobia, this fear (just like any other phobia) can have significant side effects. Those who suffer from it experience increased panic and anxiety -- so much so that it keeps them from going about their day to day activities.

So, essentially, the 13th is bad for these people, but only because their fear of it leads them to create their own misfortune.

That said, because an estimated 17 million people refuse to travel or conduct business on this day, it's estimated that $800 million is lost every time it occurs.

Are you the life of the party, or the guy who hides in the corner by the food? Your confidence in these sorts of situations might seem like it wouldn't affect much beyond your social life, but a recent study finds that being shy could mean serious consequences for your health.

Conducted by Northwestern University, the 30-year study concluded that men who are antisocial are 50 percent more likely to die from a heart attack or stroke than their more outgoing counterparts.

There are a few possible reasons for this correlation, though the exact cause isn't entirely clear. Some speculate that it's merely because those who are shy are generally of lower social status, which is also known to cause poor health. Others, however, think the two are related -- noting that those who feel socially inferior could adopt unhealthy lifestyle choices as a result. Still others suggest that gregarious people are generally type "B" (easy-going) personalities -- the only personality type that isn't associated with an increased risk of serious disease.

While there are still questions left to be answered, the results do highlight the importance of social anxiety when assessing a person's overall health.