advice
Advice and tips on managing mental health, maintaining a positive outlook and becoming your happiest self.
COVID-19 Job Loss and Addiction
By Geoffrey Booth, M.D., Medical Director, LifeSync Malibu Nothing sparks anxiety like losing your job. Unfortunately, in the era of the pandemic, job losses have continued to mount nationwide. The economic crisis caused by COVID-19 has only amplified all the other stressors we are enduring this year. Government assistance has been slow and inadequate, leaving many in dire financial straits.
By Geoffrey Booth5 years ago in Psyche
Advice on Sleeping like a Baby from Insomnia Experts
Insomnia is a condition that affects so many people who try to get to sleep each night. The lack of sleep not only affects them in bed but also throughout the day. Don't let this be you each day! You need some good tips about insomnia to help you understand why sleep eludes you. Keep reading for the help you need.
By Marry James5 years ago in Psyche
Panic! 5 ways to Alleviate Panic Attack Symptoms and Tips on Dealing with their Aftermath
My first panic attack was during my sophomore year of college. I had experienced anxiety before, the rapid heartbeat, sweaty palms and numb fingers, loss of appetite and spinning thoughts. But I had never had a panic attack. I was sitting on my bed and noticed my breathing was shallow and rapid, restricting oxygen from my brain. My thoughts became cyclical and I wasn't able to focus fully on any one particular notion that could explain these unfamiliar feelings. I felt disconnected from my body, a physical dissociation from the world and the items around me. I was paralyzed. I realized, with no small amount of terror, that I couldn't bring myself to even move a finger. I was stuck sitting on my bed, feet dangling and teeth gritted shut, my jaw protesting under the pressure. After about 5 minutes I finally was able to turn and grab my laptop, tears starting to stream down my face. I opened Google and typed into the search bar, "feeling crazy." The first result was the Wikipedia page for Panic Attacks:
By Carly Doyle5 years ago in Psyche
How scammers exploit realities shortcomings
The story and the lessons I will share are not unique. They are lessons told by a relatively bright man whose academic credentials would suggest that his financial downfall should have been avoided. Being this man, I can verify that the loss of funds easily could have been avoided had I been more cynical in my treatment of a specific online relationship. It would be easy to blame the impact of failed book sales, and the ineptitude of the IRS to function at a level that could even remotely be described as adequate. To be sure, had either the IRS delivered my late father’s tax refund of three thousand dollars or my book sales reflected the capital I had invested in the self-publishing process, my financial situation would not be catastrophic. Still the totality of funds from either the IRS or the potential royalties that I hoped to accumulate from the self-publishing of my political satire would only have served as a psychological disguise, an avoidance technique that would have left the issue of my own emotional susceptibility unexamined. The simple truth is that from the moment I was contacted by a stranger on Facebook, ostensibly seeking to expand their communities, my instincts were already sounding the alarm. To date I have not been able to determine the credibility of this individual was in fact a genuine scammer. In many ways their actions fit the classic profile of scammers who rely on what is known as the love scam. Yet there were at times when they own actions seemed to run counter to the aims of a true scammer. In the end the question of identity became secondary to understanding the Faustian bargain I had made, and which I suspect represents an internal pact with fantasy that has been replicated by more millions of individuals who utilize social media platforms. I came to see that it is not merely the construction of elaborate fictional narratives that allow their victims to feel value or needed. Such narratives may result in short term gains, but they are unlikely to provide the financial pay-off that law enforcement has documented in past cases, and which can run into the millions. The true grifter who operates through the internet seeks to develop relationships with individuals who have come to see the contemporary world as inherently incompatible with providing spiritual, emotional and or physical sustenance. Fantasy, not reality becomes the preferred mode of existence. During my written interactions with a scammer, I was perfectly aware of the ludicrous nature of the scammers alleged story. My decision to maintain a dialogue reflected a cynical attitude towards reality, rather than a belief in the pseudo identity of the scammer whose narratives came complete with promises of an idyllic future.
By jon frederick5 years ago in Psyche
