ANXIETY AND WORRY CAUSING PHYSICAL SYMPTOMS

Disorder	Symptoms	Examples
Somatoform Disorder	Physical complaints with no physical findings	·      Fibromyalgia ·      Hypochondriasis ·      Somatization disorder
Conversion Disorder	Anxiety/Anger converted into one symptom that cannot be explained by a medical condition	·      Paralysis of an extremity with normal reflexes ·      Pseudoseizures (false seizures) ·      Vomiting with no physical causes ·      Pain without physical findings ·      Blindness with pupils that dilate when exposed to light
Psychosomatic Illness	Physical illness in which emotional factors contribute	·      Ulcers ·      Most headaches ·      High blood pressure ·      Irritable bowel syndrome ·      Heart attack ·      Asthma

Foosball

A Foosball table has 8 rods. Figures placed along the rods are used for hitting the ball when the rod is twisted. The object of the game is to knock your ball into your opponent's goal  by twisting and turning your attached rods. Your opponent tries to get his ball into your hole. This is a fast moving game. People who have played  video games have the advantage. Older people with reduced reflexes have  a disadvantage. Even though the old people lose, they have fun trying.  Young and old notice their pulse racing and everyone breathes harder than usual. Some people sweat a little. Everybody laughs. It's fun even if you lose.  You hardly ever get bored playing this game.

A Cabin off Hickory Nut Gap Road near Banner Elk, North Carolina

Driving north toward Banner Elk from Sugar Mountain on State Highway 184 turn left onto Hickory Nut Gap Road. Drive up the mountain via numerous switch backs for 7 or 8 miles and you will come to a gate on the left that when opened allows you to drive up a gravel road to a cabin. Enter the small foyer and peak to your left to see a small kitchen . Straight ahead is a modest living area with a fireplace on the back wall. Sliding doors lead to a deck. Between the kitchen and the living area is a dinning table that will seat eight comfortably. If you wander back toward the small kitchen and look to your left, you will find a bedroom with a king size bed. To your right is a similar bedroom with another king size bed. The bedroom on the right has a stone shower. The other bedroom has a tub sitting on legs.The upstairs loft has a bunk bed and two single beds. No bathroom, but comfortable. In the basement is a nice pool table and a foosball machine. Outside is a charcoal grill. There are several hiking trails from he cabin. Some lead to the creek below; others meander in meadows. It is a very pleasant cabin. The nicest we have enjoyed in North Carolina.

Luck

A big part of my game plan is...luck.

True Power

Take from me all pride and vanity, all boasting and forwardness, and give me the true courage that shows itself by gentleness, the true wisdom that shows itself by simplicity, and the true power that shows itself by humility.

Attitude is Everything

Two shoe salesmen were given a new territory on a Pacific island. Immediately upon arrival, the first sales­man placed an urgent call to the home office:  "Get me out of here. No one on this island wears shoes."

The second salesman sent an e-mail request to the factory, "Please put everybody on overtime. Will need as many shoes as you can manufacture. No one on this island has any shoes."

Attitude determines the difference between shoed or shoeless. Attitude is more critical than events. It's more significant than what's happened or what's hap­pening. Attitude is more consequential than the past, than genetics, than education, than money. Attitude is more important than what other people think... say, or do. It is more important than appearance or tal­ent. Attitude will make or break an individual, a home, a company, or a country.

Whether we are running hot, running cold, or sim­ply running on overload, we can take charge of our atti­tude by choosing enthusiasm. Corporate presidents voted enthusiasm the most valuable personality trait. Enthusiasm is the biggest single factor in successful selling. Enthusiam wins ball games. Inspires audiences. Enhances learning. Builds team spirit. Propels careers.

Because attitude determines whether we are happy or unhappy, the positive perspective assures us that we can never fail. A hopeful attitude guarantees internal success. Attitude—the altitude adjuster—determines whether we fly high or low, crash or soar, glide or slide.

Attitude Aphorisms

Whether we are running hot, running cold, or sim­ply running on overload, we can take charge of our atti­tude by remembering these aphorisms:

• Success has more to do with our emotional disposition than with our social position.
  
• Kites rise against the wind, not with it.
  
• A rubber band becomes effective only when it's stretched.
  
• More opportunities exist than there are people willing to seize them.
  
• What matters is what happens in us not to us.
  
• You can tell when you are on the road to success.  It's uphill all the way.
  
• When Goliath appeared, David said, "He's so big, I can't miss."
  
• Wait until the lows pass and you will feel on top            of things.
  
• Choices, not circumstances, determine how we think.
  
• Because action cures misery change your motion to create positive emotion.
  
• Where there is no faith in the future, there is no power in the present.
  
• To accept failure as final is to be finally a failure.
  
• Failure is the line of least persistence.
  
• Others can stop us temporarily, but we are the only ones who can stop ourselves permanently.
  

The Power of Optimism

A fishing guide once said that catching a trout depends more on who's holding the pole than the bait that's on the hook. "Optimists catch more fish," he said. "They believe they're going to catch 'em and they catch 'em."

Optimism helps athletes. Swimmers were given a psychological test that measured attitude. Those who scored high on optimism performed better after a defeat. Swimmers who scored low on optimism performed worse after a defeat.

Optimism helps students. Psychologists gave col­lege freshmen tests to measure optimism. Four years later, the psychologists found that optimism predicted grades better than SAT scores or high-school grades.

Optimism helps sales people. About three quarters of insurance, salesmen quit in their first three years. Guess what? Pessimists quit twice as often as optimists. Optimistic insurance sales people sell almost forty per­cent more insurance than pessimists sell.

An insurance company hired a special group of applicants who failed the normal screening tests, but scored high on optimism. The first year on the job the "dumb" optimists sold 21% more insurance than 'the "smart" pessimists. The second year, the optimists sold 57% more insurance than the pessimists. "Dumb" opti­mists sell more insurance than "smart" pessimists.

By a mountain stream, in classrooms, on an athletic field, or while making sales calls, optimists do better. Empirical findings and scientific studies indicate that optimists are more successful in all aspects of life than pessimists. Because optimists are more resilient, they turn defeat into victory.

Overcoming Procrastination

Procrastination, doing low-priority tasks before high priority activities, robs us of valuable time. We usually do the least important things first because they are easier. We put off the most important things because they are hardier. When we work on the unimportant, we worry about the crucial tasks that aren't getting done. We get tension headaches. Ulcers. High blood pressure.  Our doctors get rich, but we still haven't done what's most important. There are four major reasons for pro­crastination:

1. Laziness

To defeat laziness, begin. Once moving, you'll tend to keep going. It takes greater energy to start an activi­ty than to sustain it. For example, if you're writing a screen play, put something on paper. Forget about sharpening pencils, arranging paper, reading one more script for inspiration. Write. Writers write.

2. The Quest for Perfection

  Nobody is perfect. Nothing created by anybody is perfect. Stop fretting about getting everything just right. Learn to do your best and accept the results. Expecting perfection never gets anything accomplished. To continue with the writing analogy, get that first draft done. Forget semicolons, active verbs, dangling participles, mixed metaphors. Just get something down on  paper. You can revise and rewrite the screenplay later.

3. Indecisiveness

 To overcome indecisiveness, use the ready, fire, aim approach. Fire it up there. Then aim it. Make some mistakes. Learn. Adjust. Move on.

4. Difficult Tasks

Break down a difficult task into easy steps. Just do a little at a time. You write a screenplay or a book one page at a time. Write one page a day and at the end of a year you will have written 365 pages.

A Rhetorical Question: What Makes a Man Abusive?

In the eyes of society he is successful. He has been married almost 50 years. He is a retired insurance executive. He is a lay preacher. He reads the Bible daily. He prays twice daily. He beats his wife every few days. He won't repent. He says she deserves the beatings because she disappoints him.

How can this happen? I don't know. I can't explain it.

I do know that I can't judge others, because I myself sin daily. My worst sins are those that I know are wrong and yet I do them anyway. At other times, I sin and am not even aware of my transgressions. I tend to make excuses and blame others.  I may not beat my wife, but I still fall short of the glory of God.

For her physical safety and for her self-esteem, the abused woman must leave her husband. She probably won't.

How can she not leave? I don't know. I can't explain it.

Some family member must protect the abused wife by convincing her to leave her husband. Adult Protective Services should be notified.

The rest of us can pray. Pray for the abusive husband. Pray for the abused wife. Ask God to forgive our sins. Prayer answers all rhetorical questions.

Everyone is Special

 A low-self imagine comes from a society that devalues the average. Our society emphasizes looks, intelligence, athletic achievement, and wealth. God views each person as a precious gem. God loves each of us equally. All of us have a unique gift. That unique gift is God's love and acceptance. In the eyes of God, the plain girl and the less intelligent man have just as much worth as those valued by society. Society's view is temporary. God's view is eternal. 

The ABCDs of Behavior.

The trained mind knows that thoughts about events are more powerful than the events themselves. When we learn to shape our thinking, we use our minds to overcome a series of unfortunate events. We can improve our attitude by using the ABCDs of behavior.

Ø    A = Activating event—Someone may criticize your tendency to dominate meetings.

Ø    B = Belief about the event—You initially believe that the critical person is a jerk. As you reflect on the situation, you conclude that this criticism may be valid. In the past, people have joked about your dominating personality. They have rolled their eyes and looked bored when you talked. You decide the critical person is correct in the assessment.

Ø    C = Consequence of the belief—You feel a strong determination to change your behavior while, at the same time, you feel grateful that you have received constructive criticism.

Ø    D = Doing—The action you take is based on your belief, not on the activating event. You begin to talk less and listen more. 

Type A and Type B Behavior

TYPE A BEHAVIOR	TYPE B BEHAVIOR
Impatient	Patient
Aggressive	Causal lifestyle
Sense of time urgency	Enjoys the moment
Highly competitive	Useful. Helpful
Interrupts others’ speech	Good listener
Craves recognition	Appreciates leisure and beauty
Frequently checks time	Rarely looks at watch
Obsessed with multitasking	Does things one at a time
Seeks fame, wealth and power	Enjoys work
Quick tempered	Peaceful deliberate thinker
Angry	Expresses affection openly
Rapid speech	Slow, deliberate speech
Inability to relax	Calm
Facial tension	Smiles and laughs easily
Always seeking more	Enjoys the present
Complainer	Content
Tongue and teeth clicking	Tranquil expressions
Audible forced inspiration of air	Relaxed breathing
Perfectionist	Accepts own imperfections

AS HAPPY AS APPLE PIE

Psychological studies indicate that just as we seem to have a set point for wealth, we also have a set point for happiness. Through controlled experiments, psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky, PhD has explored ways to beat the genetic set point for happiness. According to Dr. Lyubomirsky, if happiness resembled an apple pie, the flavor of that pie would depend on the following three factors:

·      50% of the pie’s happiness depends on our genetic set point. Studies of twins and adoptees show that 50% of our happiness/unhappiness response can be explained by the way Mother Nature mixes the chromosomes we inherit from our parents. An upward swing in happiness eventually falls back to our happiness baseline. Likewise, a mind-messing downswing will gradually return to our genetic set point for happiness

·      10% of the pie’s happiness comes from life circumstances. Our income, marriage, children, occupation, physical health and where we live contributes 10% to our overall chance to experience happiness.

·      40% of the pie’s flavor develops from learned emotional and behavioral factors. How we act and how we respond to circumstances contributes 40% of our overall chance to experience happiness.

60,000 Thoughts A Day

Scientists estimate that we create approximately 60,000 thoughts a day. Most of these thoughts—about 95 percent—are repetitive. These thoughts make up our philosophy of life, our personality. One way to change our personality is to change our thought patterns through a concentrated effort to think healthier. And then to go beyond positive thinking, we need to experience and give love.

            Excellent health goes beyond positive thinking to include a positive philosophy of life. Positive thinking is better than negative thinking, but a benevolent view of life is better still. Those individuals who view life with equanimity, peace, and joy are much more likely to have excellent physical health. Feeling—really feeling loved by God—and knowing—really knowing that God's spirit dwells in us—changes the biochemistry of our bodies in a beneficial way.

            Self-understanding, learning, stretching the mind, and observing will enable us to cultivate the positive forces in the universe, in ourselves and in others. When we cultivate a more loving perspective about our lives, and ourselves we gradually develop a healthier philosophy of life. Daily praying for the gifts of the spirit—love, joy, peace of mind, wisdom, humility, patience, self-control, kindness and gentleness—can lead to positive changes.

CERTAIN TRUTHS

Those that develop a plan for living a life of joy accept certain truths that argue against pop culture happiness:

·      Material possessions may interfere with our getting that which is best for us.

·      Not everything that makes us feel better is good for us.

·      Not everything that hurts is bad for us.

·      The idea that life must always be fair, easy and stress free engenders frustration, despair, and all sorts of addictions.

·      The work of gathering and heaping interferes with a contented life.

·      Virtuous choices—choices that leave us with no regrets—allow us to put aside things we want that may interfere with obtaining things of lasting value.

·      Delaying gratification usually provides worthwhile pleasures.

Humor

      Sustained effort is best balanced by laughter and play. A joyful heart is healing while a dreary spirit leads to sickness. Joyless opportunities deplete vigor and dull the senses. An exhausting vacation provides an inappropriate use of leisure time. Participating in sports and games that bring more frowns than laughter creates an absurd use of time. Three types of humor exist:

o      Sarcasm and self-deprecating humor—Shun this type of humor. The unconscious mind cannot tell the difference between positive and negative comments. Self-deprecating humor, no matter how much others laugh, impacts your unconscious mind to accomplish those things you joke about. Likewise, sarcasm reflects passive hostility toward the other person. Sarcasm and self-deprecating humor produce negative results.

o      Laughter power—Hearty, energetic laughter invigorates those around you.

o      Cosmic humor—Avoid taking life too seriously. Finding the absurdity in human foibles allows you to brush off the “dust and soot” of life.

·      Integrity—Keeping commitments demonstrates integrity. People want to know three things about you:

1. Can I trust you? —Honest, thoughtful, and ethical behavior builds trust.
2. Do you care about me? — Treating others as you would like to be treated (the Golden Rule) demonstrates concern, commitment, and caring.
3. Are you committed to excellence? — Do the best you can. Excellence can be achieved by developing habits that strengthen the character:

o      Choose to enjoy each day by eliminating hurry from your life.

o      Practice random acts of kindness daily.

o      Learn something new each day by reading and listening.

o      Give thanks for fortunate events.

o      Praise positive and helpful behavior in others.

o      Establish a specific time for prayer and scripture studies daily.

o      Set aside a quite half hour for personal rejuvenation each day.   

The Mind-Body Connection

Research involving the mind-body connection (called psychoneuroimmunology) can be summarized in one sentence: The cerebral cortex (the thinking part of the brain) is connected to the limbic area (the feeling part of the brain) that is linked to the hypothalamus (the hormone control button of the brain) that, in turn, influences the rest of the body through a series of extremely complex microbiological connections.

When we have a thought or a feeling, our brains make chemicals known as neuropeptides. These protein-like molecules attach to the receptor sites of blood cells in the body allowing brain and body cells to talk to each other chemically. Immune cells that repair tissue, heal wounds, ingest bacteria, and protect us from cancer, have receptors for these neuropeptide chemical messen­gers.

Messages flowing between the brain and the immune cells are transported instantaneously. When we experience joy, the white blood cells receive that mes­sage immediately. Conversely, when we are unhappy, a negative message is transmitted directly to the white blood cells. Thus, our emotional reaction influences physical health. Positive message, good health. Negative message, poor health.

What's more intriguing, scientists have discovered certain cells in the body can make the same chemicals that the brain makes when it thinks. Our body cells make harmful or beneficial chemicals, depending on our mood. There may be a biological truth in the statement, "He's a pain in the neck," or "She makes me sick." Likewise, the proverb, "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones" suggests that our body chemistry is influenced by our attitude.

A Guide for Understanding Basketball

Here is a good source for those who want to know about the technicalities of basketball.

www.guidetocoachingbasketball.com

A Fun Test on Civics

Here is a link to a fun test that allows you to check how well you know civics.

http://www.americancivicliteracy.org/resources/quiz.aspx