If you suffer from anxiety, the constant, nagging feelings of worry can be troubling and hard to control. These feelings are usually intense and out of proportion to the actual troubles and dangers in your everyday life. They can make it hard to function at home, at work, or in social situations.
Would the holidays be the same without some materialism in the mix? In today’s consumer society, what does it mean to be materialistic, and is that necessarily a bad thing? Psychologists have conducted research that has helped answer those questions and many more.
1. Forget perfection - Stop obsessing over doing it all. 2.Take a whiff of citrus - Researchers studying depression have found that certain citrus fragrances boost feelings of well-being and alleviate stress by upping levels of norepinephrine, a hormone that affects mood.
Psychologists say being prepared can help us feel more in control
October 13, 2014
The possibility of a catastrophic incident, such as a pandemic, severe weather or a terrorist attack, creates unease for many people. Psychologists who study risk perception and people’s potential reactions to unpredictable threats say that people can prepare themselves psychologically and therefore feel more in control if such an event were to occur.
Today, more than ever, there’s a higher expectation that employers will take our health into consideration while we’re on the job. But while many organizations should be commended for protecting our physical health, there is still an unfortunate disconnect when it comes to our mental health.
For many, pending deadlines and packed schedules are not overwhelming, but instead can be a driving force that pushes them toward greater productivity. We have processes to streamline, goals to achieve, promotions to earn, debt to eliminate, exercise regimes to master, dreams to chase, and people to help and inspire.
In a hypercompetitive global economy, organizations must be “on” 24/7. Yet this scramble for perpetual performance is taking a harsh toll on employees. They relentlessly push to get ahead and stay ahead—working longer days, emailing after hours, taking fewer vacations—often with little acknowledgment for their efforts.
Europe continues to lead the U.S. in a sharp and continuing focus on workplace stress – excluding NIOSH’s research. OSHA is silent on the subject of work-related stress. Cultural differences are at play here: stress is infrequently publicly discussed in corporate corridors in the U.S., where a combination of potential disability claims and the go-it-alone John Wayne tend to silence talk about job stress.
Especially for women, lowering work-home conflicts may reduce burnout
April 11, 2014
Conflicts between work and home — in both directions — are an important contributor to the risk of burnout, suggests a study in the April Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).
There is no shortage of things to worry about — from personal concerns about job security or health to fears related to larger issues such as political conflicts or natural disasters. Anxiety can be a healthy response to uncertainty and danger, but constant worry and nervousness may be a sign of generalized anxiety disorder.