The SuperStress Solution by Roberta Lee, M.D. is a 4-week program providing a comprehensive plan for offsetting the effects of stress, both physically and emotionally. The book will be released in January, but I’ve included below a guest article by Dr. Lee on the benefits of chocolate for stress!
According to Dr. Lee, SuperStress is a unique 21st century disorder, evolved from the pace of modern life. SuperStress becomes a problem since your body isn’t designed to cope with the constant “flight or fight” physical response that may be triggered by stress. If you feel chocolate (in moderation) helps you deal …read more

Does prayer make you healthier? There are arguments on both sides of this, of course, but I certainly believe so. One source says, “The person who prays has an outlet for stress and anxiety. Blood pressure can improve. Recovery after surgery is shown to significantly improve in those who find comfort in religious faith.”

Today is the National Day of Prayer. If you’re someone who doesn’t really understand how to pray, or what you should pray for, there are some excellent information on the National Day of Prayer website. I think you might be surprised at …read more

Did you know that there is no “grumping, no frowning, no grousing, complaining, punching, slapping, hitting or killing. FOR ONE WHOLE DAY.” It’s National Grump Out Day! The day was started seven years ago by Janice A. Hathy B.S., H.B. She’s also the owner of Smile Mania, which “creates, develops and produces a variety of stress reduction programs and materials to improve the mental, physical and emotional health of children and adults.”

Why banish grumpiness for a day? The goals for Grump Out day are:
1. To help people better understand the connection between negative attitudes, stress and health.
2. To …read more

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Last week I posted my review of Lumosity (you know, the set of games that are supposed to train your brain), and not long after that I bumped into 12 Simple Ways to Supercharge Your Brain.
One of the suggestions is – you guessed it – mind exercises. However, rather than listing programs like Lumosity, the author suggests games like Scrabble and crossword puzzles, as well as activities like learning new languages and interacting with others.
Free activities, and games you probably have lying around the house. (I know I’m not the only nerd with some random edition …read more

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That’s the question my local news reporter asked last night. Naturally I a) hung around on the couch long enough to hear the answer, and b) thought I would hear something related to Obama’s stance on mental health legislation.
Instead, what I heard was a local therapist discussing the stress-reducing benefits of Obama’s motivating and inspiring speeches.
Curious.
The overall idea was that, during such depressing and discouraging times, Obama’s talks about change help Americans feel more hopeful and at ease.
I’ll admit that I’m one of the many Americans who feels a bit more mentally (and even physically) relaxed …read more

Here at b5media’s Health & Wellness Channel, we’re always doing something.
This week, we’re rounding up our “Top 5″ posts.
Some bloggers are focusing on their top five most popular posts, their favorite posts, and even posts that aren’t very well known to their readers.
Because Mental Health Notes is still celebrating its one-year anniversary, I thought I’d go retro with it and list the top five posts I had the most fun writing within the first five months Mental Health Notes was live. (Five just seems to be a common number here, so I’ll stick with it.)
So, without further ado…
May 2007 – …read more

This week is going to be an extremely busy week for me.
Today I have two appointments and a last minute shopping trip to deal with before I head to my NAMI affiliation’s cookout in honor of Mental Health Month.
Tuesday and Wednesday I have to finish getting four days worth of work completed (for Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday) because I’ll be out of town Thursday and Friday for my sister’s graduation. Ugh, and I’m going to have to pack, too.
And find time to squeeze in a hair cut AND buy shoes to go with my dress.
Needless to say, there’s not …read more

I have a secret…
Want to know what it is?
Well, if I told you it wouldn’t be a secret anymore!
You have to earn it. Below are a few hints:

It’s transparent and lightweight.
You can buy your own, but freebies often arrive in the mail.
You can’t use it more than once.
You either love it or you hate it – children tend to fall into the former group.
Many, many people use it as a stress reducer and, speaking from experience, it usually works!

Think you know what it is?
Well, even if you don’t (and even if the above image gave it away, ha!) I’m going …read more