August 31, 2008

BURNOUT

I’ve been thinking more about burnout lately, as several people from my private practice show signs of this, and as I hear from friends who work in agencies that fail to consider the health of employees.  What IS burnout?  Is it a real thing, or simply a buzzword that has come to have little meaning?

The experience we call “Burnout” has been described by Elliott Aronson and Ayala Pines in their classic book, Burnout: Causes and Cures.  I often recommend this book to those struggling with a sense of hurry and worry about their work life.  In short, burnout might be described as the experience of mental and physical exhaustion, accompanied often by negative attitudes and a sense of hopelessness.  Of course, physical symptoms may be present, making it harder for the person to sort out the causes of distress.  In general, we’re talking about burnout related to (more…)

Sleep: A third of your life

“[Sleep is] the golden chain that ties health and our bodies together.”Thomas Dekker (1572 – 1632)

You sometimes hear hard-driving individuals remark, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead!” as they burn the candle at both ends.  Regrettably, this can be prophetic, as sleep deprivation is correlated with serious medical conditions that actually do shorten life.  But how should we think about sleep if not as a waste of precious time?

William Dement, M.D., in his book The Promise of Sleep describes the benefits of adequate sleep for people of all ages from infants to the most elderly, and describes how sleep needs fluctuate according to many variables.  It is clear that Americans are not getting enough shut-eye at any age.

Today, more medications are sold for insomnia than ever before, indicating that a good share of people know they are sleep-deprived,  Dement, among others, offers strategies for reducing the nation’s sleep debt, and here I will suggest two of them: (more…)

August 17, 2008

Positive Psychology is NOT about constant happiness!

“Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.”Helen Keller (1880 – 1968)

In recent months articles on happiness are everywhere.  We see optimism and happiness, and life satisfaction mentioned in every publication from those on psychology to the magazines on gardening.  The tone of these articles suggests that we should be pursuing happiness full time, and that anyone experiencing sadness or grief is simply not trying hard enough.

A life of happiness and satisfaction is one built upon meaning, not pie-in-the-sky Pollyanna thoughts, and we should expect that some life experiences will be challenging, difficult, even sad or very hurtful.  At no time should it be imagined that a life of happiness and satisfaction would carry no grief or sadness, because that would be completely untrue.  To have meaning, life must be valued; I think we would all agree to that.  So it follows that in times of loss of life, loss of treasured relationships or when devastation (earthquake, fire, floods) strikes us, we may very well experience shock, sadness or grief.  If we have practiced the skills of optimism and resilience will know that these are not permanent emotions, but we will be sad, and feel grief at our losses.  The impermanence of life, and our happiness is part of why we treasure it. (more…)

Why Science?

“Science is a way of thinking much more than it is a body of knowledge” – Carl Sagan

Isn’t psychology more about feelings than about facts? And, even if facts are a focus, don’t we have to really get into the feelings in order to make lasting changes?

In a word–no.  I rely on scientific evidence of what works for several reasons, but let me explain just a few:  There are individuals doing research in universities around the world, to find evidence of what will make human change possible.  I read the journal articles as they come out, to learn what these investigative minds are exploring, and then I combine the information from many of these articles, to be sure that I am not “falling in love with my hunches” or the hunches of anyone else.  I want to know that what I suggest to my patients is the material based on sound research. (more…)

Posted in: Did You Know? @ 8:00 am

August 3, 2008

You Are “Super Saturated”

“Simplicity is the peak of civilization.” Jessie Sampter

To be alive in America today is to be bombarded by messages and information.  Nearly every surface, from the newspaper to the sides of downtown buses carry messages and information entitled “must see”!  If you don’t believe me, take conscious notice of the room you sit in right now—look around at the book titles, the magazine covers, the sticky notes and the television.  All vie for a limited commodity: your attention.

Is it a wonder that we all feel as if we have some degree of Attention Deficit Disorder?  After a certain age, we begin to think it is the onset of dementia when names escape us, or words will not come to mind, but it is likely this is the effect of over-stimulation.  The brain is wired up to pay conscious attention to only one or two things at a time.  At a lowered level of consciousness, we can also monitor a number of other things (the song now playing on a radio in the background, the increasing noise from our neighbor’s back yard), but we cannot give conscious attention to all that is happening in our environment at any moment, unless of course we’re in a windowless room alone, with no distractions.  I haven’t had that experience, so I shouldn’t really say that it would be possible to pay attention more closely in that environment! (more…)

ANGER: Deal or no deal?

“Speak when you are angry–and you will make the best speech you’ll ever regret.”Laurence J. Peter (1919 – 1988)

Years ago, it was thought that anger must be “let out” or it would somehow “bottle up” until it exploded.  Not true, thankfully, but the misperception lingers in our popular culture as well as in some therapy offices.  More current research into the cause and effects of angry emotions tells us that venting may feel good in the moment of anger, but it does not reduce the underlying emotion much, if at all.

The best research we have today—2008—is that anger does not bottle up and gather steam awaiting an inevitable blow-up.  In fact, some kinds of “venting” actually serve as a rehearsal for additional angry outbursts in the future.  Encouraging children to act out their anger by punching a doll or pillow appears to increase the likelihood that they will behave aggressively in other situations.  The same is true of us adults: having a verbal rant about our complaints can simply add to the “reasons” we have for being angry, not to a reduction in that emotion. (more…)