Eating Disorders and Your Personality

Lacking in confidence? Having trouble with being such a perfectionist? Although you may not notice it, some of your most distinguishing personality traits could determine your susceptibility to eating disorders. Studies have shown that people diagnosed with eating disorders share the same common denominator: specific self-defeating personality traits. Apart from these, however, having any of the identified personality disorders, possessed with specific distinctive negative traits, raises your chances of acquiring eating disorders. Below are the first two:

Avoidant Personality

Several studies have indicated that most anorexic patients have avoidant personalities due to their extreme fear of rejection. So sensitive are they to being criticized that the slightest off-hand remark suffices to strengthen their belief of their own inadequacy. The oversensitivity to failing of people with avoidant personality disorder is further elucidated by these traits: perfectionism; extreme

shyness; sexual and/or emotional inhibition; sensitivity to rejection; affinity with being “good”; and a fear of being criticized, ridiculed, and/or humiliated.

Narcissistic Personality

A personality disorder characterized by an extreme emphasis on one's importance, people falling under this category are prone to pacifying themselves. Their need for admiration from others explains why they are so sensitive to criticism and failure.

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http://www.mentalhealth.com/dis/p20-pe08.html

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At the Mercy of Anxiety? Check Your BP (blood pressure)!

Do you find yourself feeling light-headed and out of breath during crunch time? Whether you're trying to beat a work deadline or running at the speed of light just so you could make it to the office in time, the effects such circumstances would have on your mental and physical system are the same: the onset of anxiety triggering a spike in your blood pressure. Even if you have no hypertension and are healthy throughout, fact has it that you too could experience a sudden, dramatic BP increase once anxiety sets in.

Although physically uncomfortable, these temporary BP spikes have no serious physical damage. As it is, it is not confirmed that anxiety directly causes hypertension. However, should the aforementioned episodes escalate to the point that you experience them more frequently or every day, then a lifestyle change coupled with a visit to your doctor are in order. Just like chronic hypertension, regularly experiencing a surge in your BP due to anxiety is as detrimental to your kidneys, heart, and blood vessels. Besides, since anxiety could prompt you to turn to unhealthy habits like smoking, drinking, and overeating; you also run the risk of acquiring hypertension later on.

Contributed By: Maris Modesto

Maximize the Destressing Benefits of Relaxation Response

As you get started with your relaxation response practice, do it properly by observing these significant pointers:

• Find time to do it.In starting out your relaxation response practice, it's imperative to find the right time that you have especially set aside for it. Depending on your schedule, see to it that once you have decided on the specific time, you would manage to keep it. Regularity requires sticking to a fixed schedule. This way, you are assured of fully absorbing the stress-relieving benefits of relaxation response into your system.
• Never do it when you're feeling drowsy or lethargic. Since relaxation response activities are intended to relax you totally, they could make you sleepy. However, falling asleep would mean not being able to complete the exercise, hence, you miss out on getting the most from it. To prevent this, ascertain that the period you've chosen is nowhere near your bedtime or during those hours when you're likely to feel drowsy.
• Practice the activity that you like best. There are many different activities promoting the benefits of relaxation response, and all of them are equally effective. It all boils down to selecting the one which appeals to you the most.

Contributed By: Maris Modesto

What You Should Know About AS (Asperger's Syndrome)

At first glance, AS people are hardly any different from others. However, getting to know them better or becoming intimate with them would give you a closer look at what exactly it is about them that distinguishes them from the rest. As it is, AS people are very well capable of functioning in typical life settings just like everybody else. However, they possess specific symptoms, especially poor or immature socialization skills and a distinctive oddity of behavior, specifically categorizing them among the 400,000 families suspected to be riddled with Asperger's syndrome—a neurobiological disorder characterized by impaired social skills and poor coordination.

Although diagnosis can be made as early as the age of three, it is not unusual for most AS people to be misdiagnosed with ADHD before it can be confirmed that what they have is actually AS later on. To familiarize you better with the nature of AS, here are its other symptoms:

• Predilection for “self” topics when conversing with others
• Robotic and reiterative speech
• Not having enough “common sense”
• Academic problems; specifically with math, reading, or writing
• Unusual mannerisms and/or behaviors
• Bungling movements
• Fixation for complicated topics (patterns, music, etc.)
• Improper and/or limited social interactions

Contributed By: Maris Modesto

Foolproof Tips in Managing Sunburn

“An ounce of prevention is always better than a pound of cure.” The truth of this popular adage can never be disputed, especially where one's health is at stake. As it is, this also applies to even seemingly mundane complaints as sunburn. Typical during the hot summer months, the best step in addressing sunburn is through conscientious prevention. Capable of ruining the skin - the main organ used for heat control and fluid retention as well as protection against infection - handling sunburn can be done by following these foolproof tips:

Get indoors or shield sunburned areas immediately. Further exposure to the sun after you have had sunburn would only worsen it.

Spot check the sunburned area for blisters. The latter are indications of second-degree burns, meaning that the affected are has suffered complete damage and is already prone to complications. Emergency cases calling for immediate medical attention would be indicated by having such a big blister that it could cover an entire abdomen or is bigger than an arm.

Ease the discomfort and pain via a shower or bath. Aloe or over-the-counter cooling agents could also be applied on the affected areas. However, never use oil or butter.

Contributed By: Maris Modesto

Zeroing In On Teen Depression

In discussing teen depression, many factors come into play, ranging from genetics to social, physical, as well as environmental factors. Defining the manner whereby a particular teenager could be at risk requires discussing his inherent personality aside from the previously mentioned factors. Teen girls are said to have a higher risk since they often obtain their self-esteem through their relationships.

However, depression cannot be contained to only one life premise. With the many challenges confronting adolescents as they struggle with growing up, it can be surmised that like every body else, depression is a perennial threat if they're not careful.

Most cases of teenagers who had depression experienced the following: teen pregnancy, drug or substance abuse, and lagging behind their peers in academics or other areas. Once depression sets in, the ultimate risk would be having that compulsion to commit suicide. To keep teens safe, parental support and guidance are important. As with other health issues, preventing the disorder from settling in is the best way to ensure that your teen is protected from its adverse effects. Prioritizing their health concerns means being attentive not only to their physical needs, but also to their mental needs as well.

Contributed By: Maris Modesto

Plate Size Matters

In telling the reasons behind the compulsion driving people to overeat unconsciously, a food psychologist pointed out that several factors come into play. Some studies revealed that one common reason in particular has a lot to do with the plate size we use for eating. Nevertheless, despite the variations of these factors, a food expert maintains that all these reasons compelling us to overeat without our noticing it are united under the fact that they exist only in our minds.

A problem generated by the demands of today's busy lifestyle, such tendencies are referred to as mindless eating by Brian Wansink, a behavioral scientist at the Cornell Food and Brand Lab. According to him, people are so preoccupied with the many things they are busy with during the day that they tend to lose track of how often they eat. He claims that the stomach has nothing to do with these compulsions. The mind is the sole culprit. However, as powerful as it is, it could be fooled easily using a simple technique: change plate sizes. Dr. Wansink confirmed, “Based on our studies, people get more food servings when their plates are bigger. They add up to 20-28% more.”

Contributed By: Maris Modesto