Manage Your Stress at Work to Prevent Depression

Depression is a tough thing to deal with. It steals your motivation and your energy. By making it hard to choose a course of action and then follow through, it creates its own downward spiral. You know you need help, but it seems to take so much effort to find it.

A growing understanding of depression means that it’s easier to take steps to prevent it in the first place. Like with any disease, prevention of depression is certainly better than treating it once it sets it.

Work place stress can trigger episodes of depression. Researchers found that people who experience ongoing stress at work are nearly twice as likely to battle depression than people who are faced with workplace stress and find ways to reduce it.

That means if you’re dealing with a stressful workplace, you’ll do yourself a favor by finding ways to reduce the stress.

The first step is to identify the source of your stress. Do you have to deal with a hostile boss or coworker? Are you constantly struggling with high-pressure deadlines? Do you just hate what you do?

Understanding the source of your stress can guide you in the best ways to deal with it. Finding a working compromise with hostile coworkers or taking a project management class to help you better deal with deadlines are two ideas.

There are also things you can do in the course of your day that can help to reduce the stress you are feeling.

First, recognize and accept that things take time to complete. Trying to force yourself to complete an hour-long task in a half hour will only frustrate you and negatively impact the quality of your work.

Next, make sure you set clear boundaries with your coworkers and your boss. If somebody speaks to you in a way that’s abusive, let them know that it’s not okay. If you have a full schedule and are given another project that makes your deadlines impossible, ask for priorities from your boss and be clear about when things can reasonably be done.

Finally, take time each hour to breathe properly. When you get stressed, you tend to take shallow breaths. This puts more stress on your body. At the top of each hour, pause and focus on breathing deeply for a minute.

Reducing work place stress takes planning and it might even require that you stretch your comfort zone a little bit. But it’s well worth it in the end. You’ll do better work and enjoy better mental health.

Stay well,
Meghan Krohn

Is Your Love of Football Hurting You?

I happen to love football. During the season I try to catch a game a week, usually with some friends and some yummy snacks. And like any good football fan, I have my favorite team.

Now, I find out that if your favorite team makes it into the Super Bowl, it might have consequences for your health.

On the upside, when your team wins the Super Bowl, researchers of a study recently presented at the American College of Cardiology believe that it might actually protect fans’ health.

On the downside, when your team loses, it could put stress on your heart.

The affect is so pronounced that researchers were able to track the rise and fall of mortality rates in cities with winning and losing teams, respectively.

This research doesn’t just apply to your favorite team winning or losing the Super Bowl. It can apply to any big or exciting event in your life. If things go your way, you’re likely to enjoy a health benefit. Disappointment can lead to trouble, though, especially if you’re already at risk for heart problems.

The researchers recommend that people with heart disease learn breathing and other relaxation techniques to help them cope safely with the excitement and stress that life doles out.

Frankly, that sounds like sound advice that everyone can benefit from.

Stay well,
Meghan Krohn

Three Quick Ways to Cut Your Stress

Whether you’re directly affected by current economic changes or not, chances are the uncertainty is stressing you out. If not, it’s probably stressing out someone you know, and that can rub off.

Life is always hectic, so whether the outcast is sunny or less so, having a few quick stress-busting techniques on hand can make a real difference in your mood, your outlook, and your productivity.

Stress-Buster #1: Belly Breathing

When you get stressed out, your muscles tend to tighten up. This creates subtle changes in your posture, your gait, and your breathing. It can lead to back pain, headaches, and a cycle of increased stress.

Here’s what to do. Sit down in a chair with the best posture you can muster. Imagine a string coming out of the top of your head, lifting you up so that your spine is nice and straight. Now place your palm on your diaphragm and breathe deeply, using that muscle to pull the breath in. Exhale by relaxing the muscle and letting the air flow out naturally.

Take five deep belly breaths and your bound to feel better.

Stress Buster #2: A Musical Interlude

You can approach this in one of two ways. You can put on some calming, classical music and focus on matching your heartbeat and breathing to the music. Or you put on something with a beat that matches the stress your feeling and either do jumping jacks or dance.

Either way, you’re sure to feel calmer when you’re through.

Stress Buster #3: Stop and be Grateful

Gratitude is one of the most calming, positive emotions you can feel. When people and work are pulling you in every direction, stop for 30 seconds and focus on something that makes you feel grateful. Whether it’s the blue sky, the first signs of spring, a picture of your children, or a car you love to drive, just take a moment to appreciate it.


Stress can derail your day. It interferes with work, makes relationships more difficult, and disrupts your sleep. By consciously taking steps to counter the stress you feel, you’ll have a happier, healthier day.

Stay well,
Danny Wallace

Warm Hands Make for a Happier You

Winter is nearly upon us and the weather in most parts of the country is getting colder. Cold days can mean chilly fingers and toes, especially if you spend time outside. You might think cold hands aren't a big deal, but new research shows that when your hands are cold, you're outlook and mood aren't as good.

In one experiment, people were asked to hold a cup of iced or hot coffee while the interviewer made some notes. After returning the coffee to the interviewer, they were asked to review information about a person they hadn't ever met and then evaluate that person. Even though the description of the person was entirely positive, those who had held the iced coffee (i.e. who had cold hands) were more likely to say negative things than those who held the hot coffee and had warm hands.

In another experiment, people evaluated a therapeutic pad. Some of the pads were hot and some were cold. When done with the evaluation, the real experiment began. The evaluator was offered a personal reward or a reward they could give to a friend. Those who'd been handling the warm therapeutic pads were much more likely to choose something they could offer to a friend.

Based on these experiments experts believe that when your hands are warm you are more likely to see the best in other people and you're more likely to feel generous and giving. Given that those kinds of emotions are pleasant and can reduce stress, I'd say keeping your hands warm is a good idea. This winter treat yourself to a nice pair of gloves or by a box of hand-warmers so that you never have let cold hands bring you down.

Stay well,
Meghan Krohn

Stress is on the Rise. How Will You Cope?

The bad news in the economy has got people stressed out. The American Psychological Association reports that according to surveys 80 percent of Americans are stressed out because of money and the economy.

People responding to the survey report fatigue, irritability, and difficulty sleeping because of stress. That's not good news. Stress can trigger all sorts of health problems. It can contribute to weight gain and even increase your risk of heart disease.

Of course, stress is unavoidable. The important question is, "How will you cope?"

There are healthy and unhealthy ways to cope with stress. All too often, people turn to less than ideal options. Nearly half of people say that they overeat or eat junk food when they are feeling stressed. More than one in eight smoke when their stress levels are high.

There are better ways to deal with stress—methods that are healthier and more effective. One of the most effective ways to deal with stress is to do a good, hard workout. I know my favorite workout when my stress levels are high is to spend some time punching my heavy bag. It's very cathartic and it works up a good sweat.

Food can help you cope with stress, too, but it doesn't have to be unhealthy. Try making a rich, hearty vegetable soup and serving it up with a loaf of warm, crusty bread. This is comfort food at its best. Warm. Filling. And full of vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

Passive stress busters are very popular, and they can be effective, too. Listening to your favorite music, talking about what's bothering you with someone you trust, or spending time meditating each day can all help to relieve stress.

Times are uncertain, but that doesn't mean you have to let that uncertainty take a toll on your health. Take control of your stress levels, and you'll feel much better about the tackling the things that are causing your stress. The end result is less stress and better health.

Stay well,
Danny Wallace

Parenting Role Reversals

We're living longer than ever, and that's a good thing. Improvements in medical care and increases in the average lifespan means that you'll have the opportunity to do more, to try more things, to have more experiences. It means you'll get to enjoy the world around you for longer.

But there are some caveats.

Because everyone is living longer, there's a chance you will find yourself in the role as caregiver to one or both of your parents.

This can be a mixed blessing. It gives you a chance to renew and strengthen your relationship with your parents. On the other hand, it's a difficult role. You become like the parent instead of the child, and that takes some adjustment. You also may become responsible for running the logistics of your parent's household—the finances, the grocery shopping, repairs, insurance policies… the list goes on.

Being a caregiver is hard and emotional work. It's important to be prepared. If your parents are in good health, then it's a good time to discuss their wishes should they become sick. Do they want in-home care or would they prefer to live in a community environment? What role do you want to play and what role are they hoping you'll play?

It's also important to talk over insurance policies with them. You might want to ask if they have long-term care insurance. Long-term care is one of the most expensive kinds of care and it can quickly bleed your parents' finances. Long-term care can be a real lifesaver, so having insurance for it is a good idea.

If you find yourself in the role of caregiver, it's very important that you enlist the support you need. Caregivers are at a higher risk of stress and stress-related conditions. Stress also contributes to weight gain, sleep problems, and heart disease.

Most people don't take the time to consider what they'll do if their parents need them as a caregiver. In many cases, they go from leading their life as normal to being in a caregiver role in as little as 24 hours. In that time, they have to make enormous adjustments. By giving a little thought to the "what ifs…" life might send your way, you can save yourself and your loved ones a good deal of stress.

Stay well,
Danny Wallace

Two Ways to Improve Your Cancer Outcome

There's no doubt that cancer is a devastating disease. The treatments are difficult. They make you sick and tired. The disease itself is painful. You feel exhausted all the time. And there are no guarantees that all the suffering you go through to get better will actually work.

A new study gives cancer patients two new tools to help them cope.

Researchers found that people who are able to maintain their optimism while undergoing treatment cope much better with pain than those who feel frustrated or pessimistic most of the time. They also found that people who take control of their environment don't have less fatigue.

Now, I realize that saying, "Be optimistic," is a lot easier than actually being optimistic. One of the best ways to increase your optimism is to focus on the things in your life that you are grateful for. You can do this in a number of ways. You can take five minutes in the morning and write down all the things you are grateful for right at that moment or you can spend ten minutes in the evening fixing your thoughts on one thing that has made you feel grateful during the day.

Another way to boost your optimism is to continue to make plans for the future. When you're fighting against cancer, it's tempting to put everything in your life on hold. Doing so is understandable, but it can also make you feel a little like you've lost your purpose… and your sense of purpose is closely linked to how optimistic you feel.

Gaining mastery over your environment is a little bit easier. I suggest you start by making a list of everything in your environment that is driving your crazy on some level. Whether it's the leaking faucet, the cluttered closet, or the peeling paint on the windowsill… if it's something you're tolerating because you haven't found the time to fix it, then put it on the list. Next enlist your friends and family to work through the list and help you get your environment in the shape you want it to be in.

After that, take some time to set some boundaries between you and your caretaker and if you're so inclined come up with a schedule that you think will help you to cope.

Fighting cancer is a difficult struggle. If you can reduce your pain and fatigue levels, that's a big win. It certainly can't hurt to try these two strategies and see if they make a difference for you.


Stay well,
Meghan Krohn

Coping With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome is an equal opportunity condition. It can affect you no matter your gender, race, income level, or age. More than one million people in the U.S. live with CFS. For them, just getting out of bed in the morning can be a difficult task and an emotionally upsetting event can set off a chain reaction that leads to extreme exhaustion that lasts for days on end.

If you or someone close to you lives with CFS, you know how disruptive this condition is. It affects every facet of your life. It lowers your productivity at work, and it makes you feel less creative. It interferes with you exercise commitments, so you lose physical fitness. It disrupts your relationships, your sleep cycles, and your overall happiness.

While there isn't a cure for CFS—scientists aren't even sure what causes it—there are coping strategies that you can use prevent CFS from controlling your life.

First, keep track of the activities or events that trigger episodes of fatigue. Once you recognize the kinds of things that cause your CFS to worsen, you can take control, avoid those activities, and spend less time feeling exhausted.

Light exercise on your good days can help prevent episodes. It can also help you stay physically fit. Strenuous exercise, on the other hand, might make CFS worse. Talk with your doctor for help designing an exercise program that will give you the most benefit without exhausting you.

Sunlight can help stimulate your pineal gland. Getting some sun each day will help you feel better when you're awake and sleep better at night.

Finally, find ways to mentally relax. Whether you write in a journal, meditate, or practice yoga, finding a way to slow your mind down will help you relieve stress and that can prevent CFS episodes.

CFS doesn't have to control your life. Even though there's no cure, you can reduce the effect it has from day to day. That means more good days, and that's a very good thing.

Stay well,
Meghan Krohn

Emotional Wellness

How you feel matters. It matters to your physical health. It impacts your quality of life. It can make a big difference to how well you sleep, how healthy your digestion is, and how well you cope with stress.

Emotional health is important.

Too often it gets overlooked while we focus on other important things like heart disease and cancer. So today, take a little time to think about your emotional well-being.

Do you enjoy your work? Do you enjoy your relationships? Do you find that your life is generally fulfilling and happy? Are you able to overcome difficulties with optimism?

If you can't answer, "Yes," to questions like these, then it's time to give your emotional health a closer look.

It's tempting, when you're feeling low or anxious or stressed out, to keep your feelings to yourself. We all do this sometimes. Maybe you don't want to sound like you're complaining. Or perhaps you're worried about burdening someone else with your problems. The truth is you have friends and family who love you. There is someone in your life who would be happy to listen. So seek them out and talk things through. This simple act can be a big help when you're working through something difficult.

If there isn't anyone you feeling comfortable talking to, consider booking an appointment with a therapist instead.

When you're feeling negative, take a moment to recognize those feelings. Accept that they are there and that's it's okay to have them. Think about what's causing those feelings and what changes you can make to improve things for you emotionally. At the same time, also consider the things in your life that make you happy. Gratitude is an especially powerful positive emotion. Try coming up with a list of things you are grateful for. This can quickly change your mood from negative to positive.

If stress is a problem, try taking up an activity to counter it. Yoga, meditation, journal, or martial arts are all good activities that reduce stress.

Taking care of your emotional health is just as important as eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, or getting a good night's sleep.

Stay well,
Heather Robwell

Stress Can Make You Hungry

In recent research, scientists have been examining the relationship between certain hormones your body produces under stress and how big your appetite is. What they've found gives added support to the theory that stress can cause you to gain weight.

When you feel depressed or anxious, your body releases more of a hormone called ghrelin. Ghrelin helps to combat anxiety and depression, but it also helps to regulate your appetite. More ghrelin makes you feel like you need to eat. It follows that in many people stress can lead to overeating because it triggers production of this hormone that makes you hungry.

Researchers are considering ways of suppressing ghrelin that might help with weight loss. However, this is a risky strategy. If levels of ghrelin get too low, you could become depressed or suffer from higher levels of anxiety.

A better strategy is to learn to cope better with stress. Here are a few ideas.

Exercise is an excellent coping mechanism when it comes to stress. People who exercise help to regulate their hormone levels and their mood. Exercise works as well as prescription drugs when it comes to treating moderate depression. It's an all around good way to beat stress.

Meditation is another great option. You can rent guided meditations at your local video store. Or you can do you own meditation. Just sit quietly in a relaxed position. Choose a focal point such as your breathing and try to clear your mind of thoughts by focusing gently on that one thing. When a stray thought does enter your mind simply acknowledge it and then bring yourself back to your focal point.

Journaling is another option when it comes to coping with stress. Writing down the things that bother you can help you to put them into perspective and even find solutions. Sometimes by writing something down you give yourself permission not to worry about it constantly, and that's very helpful, too.

Finding healthy ways to deal with stress is important both to your quality of life and to your health.

Stay well,
Heather Robwell

Train Your Brain

The holidays are coming. For most of us that means more stress. And more stress often means more of those embarrassing senior moments. You know the ones, like when you go to introduce your spouse and momentarily blank out on her name.

Fortunately, you can do some quick mental aerobics each day that might help you avoid those uncomfortable fauxpas.

First, start paying more attention to your thoughts. Notice what you're thinking. You are constantly thinking, usually about what you're doing. Take a moment to notice the thoughts. Focus on how cold the floor feels in the morning, how soft your towel feels after your shower, how good your first sip of coffee tastes. These thoughts are there anyway. By taking notice of them, you actually encourage your brain to build stronger neural connections. That can mean a better memory and a greater sense of clarity.

Next, focus on where you are and what you are doing. It's easy for the stress of the holidays to crowd your thoughts. You know how it goes. You're making dinner and instead of focusing on what you're doing, you start making a gift list in your head. Next thing you know, dinner is burnt and you're frustrated. Practice catching yourself the moment your thoughts start to drift away from the moment and bring them back to what you're doing.

Finally, make time for stray thoughts. Just sit on the couch, flip on some music, maybe grab a glass of wine. Then close your eyes and let your mind wander. This is often a great way to relieve stress. I always keep a pad and pen nearby when I do this. When I'm ready to be done relaxing, I write down any thoughts that I had that I don't want to lose.

Lapses in memory are frustrating, but they are common when your stress levels rise. Try these three techniques to lower your stress and improve your memory at the same time.

Stay Well,
Heather Robwell

Another good reason to get your ZZZs…

Have you ever had that feeling when you're short on sleep that you just aren't yourself? It turns out that's really not so far from the truth.

New research shows that after losing just one night of sleep, the brain's function begins to change. Most of the brain activity moves from the rational area to the brain's fear center.

A person who has been awake for 36 hours straight deals with input much differently than someone who has slept. That goes without saying. But with this new research it is more clear why. A sleep-deprived person is functioning on a more primitive level than someone who is rested.

One of the primary changes is that your flight or fight reflex is more sensitive when you haven't slept. This means that small things that you would normally cope with or not notice may cause you a great deal of stress. It makes you more emotional and may impair your judgement.

Researchers haven't yet tested if the same changes occur in someone who gets some sleep, but less than the optimum amount, for several nights in a row.

Either way, one thing is certain—losing sleep is a bad idea.

Stay rested,
Danny Wallace

A Surefire Way to Boost Good Cholesterol

Three weeks ago, my colleague Heather told you about how negative emotions like hostility and anger drag down a man's health.

Today, I want to flip that on its head and tell how good emotions are the most natural, surefire way to boost your HDL cholesterol. HDL cholesterol is the good kind of cholesterol. It's a better marker of heart disease risk than LDL cholesterol. Higher levels of HDL cholesterol protect you from heart disease and lower your risks of metabolic disorders.

The problem is that most strategies to fight heart disease focus on lowering LDL cholesterol and ignore HDL cholesterol.

Well, fortunately there's an easy way to raise your HDL cholesterol--find better ways to beat stress.

Stress is unavoidable. If you let it build up and beat you down, you'll be struggling against those negative emotions that damage your health. However, if you work on coping with your stress in a positive way, you'll actually improve your health.

Researchers studied 716 men and how they coped with stress. Researchers expected to find that the men who choose positive coping strategies like remaining calm and focusing on solutions would have lower LDL cholesterol. They were surprised to find that men who used positive coping strategies actually had significantly higher levels of HDL cholesterol than men who became hostile and angry in the face of stress.

Just one more reason to pay attention to your emotional health… it does affect your physical health.

Stay well,

Danny Wallace

Men, Are you aware of how hostility can make you very sick?

Just recently I read about a new study that was released showing that negative feelings have a powerful negative impact on men's health. If you frequently feel angry, depressed, or hostile you compromise your immune system and up your risk of a number of chronic diseases.

The researchers found that men who feel negative emotions on a chronic basis have high levels of systemic inflammation. Inflammation has been tied to heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer's, diabetes, and arthritis.

Honestly, this isn't really surprising. Stress has long been known to depress the immune system, damage to the body, and contribute to chronic diseases. Certainly anger, depression, and hostility generate stress.

If you find you struggle with negative emotions, the time to take action is now.

Often negative emotions are a result of out-of-control thoughts that keep bringing you back to a negative moment. It takes practice, but it's possible to begin recognizing those thoughts when they occur. Once you do that, you can shift your thinking to something more positive.

Meditation, regular stretching, classical music, and a hobby you enjoy are all other good ways to beat stress and negative emotions.

When all else fails, make an appointment with a therapist. You may find that a professional is very helpful. If not, you don't have to continue.

Take control of your mental and emotional health today.


Heather Robwell