Friday, September 21, 2007
 A Scientific Measure of Emotional Values
By Dr. Douglas Ramm
A little more than 10 years ago, psychologists who work in American universities began offering advice on how to enhance emotional well-being. Virtually all of these professors maintain that the most reliable method for increasing happiness, contentment and satisfaction with life consists of making changes in the way we look at the world. They believe that cultivating a positive attitude, developing a sense of gratitude and maintaining a sense of optimism are all we can do to achieve and maintain emotional well-being.
Nonsense. Those who attempt to enhance their emotional well-being with this approach will end up sadly disappointed. It will not get them where they want to go.
As a practicing clinical psychologist, I am convinced that emotions are always a matter of how we are affected by the things, people and events we encounter in daily life. Looking at what the ivory tower psychologists were telling the public, I saw clearly that real science was needed to discover which things, interpersonal events and conditions of daily life actually contribute to emotional well-being.
I conducted rigorous, scientific research to discover which of these actually make a difference in our overall emotional well-being. It began with a review of what scores of researchers have discovered over nearly 50 years of research into happiness, contentment and satisfaction with life. This research revealed that there are a number of things that are correlated with subjective reports of emotional well-being, irrespective of the gender, race or ethnicity of the person making that report. Since these have natural, intrinsic or inherent worth, we refer to these things as values.
Next, I designed a method to determine which of these values actually have an impact on whether a person is happy, content and satisfied with life. The results of my research revealed that there are 10 values that actually make a difference in terms of whether and to what degree an individual is able to find and hold onto emotional well-being.
Since the following values are the ones that determine real and lasting emotional well-being, I call them the 10 Core Values:
1. Meaningful material objects are the necessities of life, as well as those tangible entities that contribute to a person's contentment and satisfaction in living.
2. Money is cash, credit, stocks, bonds, coupons, insurance benefits or any other object that can be used as a medium of exchange.
3. Affirmation is the experience of being recognized as an adequate, competent, acceptable, desirable and/or lovable human being.
4. Companionship is the experience we have when we share concerns, interests and activities with people whose company we enjoy.
5. Intimacy occurs in relationships that already involve affirmation and companionship. They are where we can also share thoughts, emotions and experiences that could be embarrassing or lead to ridicule or rejection, but the other person in the relationship continues to remain affirming.
6. Health is the state of physical and mental well-being, which is characterized by the absence of disease, disability and pain.
7. A rewarding occupation is one where we enjoy the tasks involved, are competent at performing those tasks and experience a sense of accomplishment from a job well done.
8. Rewarding recreation is a sense of renewal obtained from an activity pursued for the mere joy or pleasure it provides and which allows us to return to the tasks of living refreshed and renewed.
9. Freedom is the ability to do what we want to do when we want to do it. It includes liberty as well as the ability to think freely, to express our own ideas and to initiate courses of action without the fear that engaging in personally fulfilling behavior will prompt some unjustified verbal or physical aggression in response.
10. Security is physical safety as well as confidence in our ability to obtain or maintain the other nine core values.
Once I determined that these 10 core values are the ones that actually make a difference in terms of whether and to what degree we are happy, content and satisfied with life, I designed the General Inventory of Life Satisfaction (GILS) as a means of measuring an individual’s overall level of emotional well-being. A validation study done in collaboration with a professor from Penn State University confirmed that this is about as accurate a means of measuring emotional well-being as an IQ test is in measuring a person’s level of intelligence
If you would like to see where you stand with respect to each of the 10 core values as well as your overall emotional well-being, go to my website and respond to this online questionnaire. If you are interested in preserving your responses, print a hard copy of your answers to the GILS survey before clicking on the next page, where your Global Estimate of Life Satisfaction (GELS) score will be computed. Then, print a hard copy of your GELS score before exiting the website, because a permanent record of your responses is not kept at that website.
If your GELS scores indicate that you are less than fully satisfied, you will benefit from future editions of this newsletter, where I will show you how to use your responses to the GELS as the foundation for personal strategic planning. You will learn how to use this instrument as a means of devising plans of action that can enhance your overall emotional well-being. If your GELS score shows that you are already experiencing a fairly high level of emotional well-being, you can use future articles to learn what you need to know and what you need to do in order to maintain this optimal quality of life.
[Ed. Note: Dr. Douglas Ramm is a psychologist, philosopher, author and leading researcher in the field of emotional well-being, contentment and life satisfaction. He has appeared on numerous radio and television talk shows where he shares insights for enhancing quality of life. Discover how to enhance yours here.]
Weight Loss :
How to Fight Cravings -- and Win!
By Dr. Jonny Bowden |
Top |
 Much like Pavlov’s dogs, we are trained to have a physiological response (hunger) to a neutral stimulus. We associate all sorts of things with food, from a holiday celebration to a fight with our spouse. Food nourishes us, but it also comforts us, soothes us and even medicates us when we’re feeling anxious, lonely or tired. No wonder it’s so easy to overeat!
But just as we were conditioned to associate food with all sorts of neutral stimuli, we can undo that conditioning. And it generally takes no more than 21 days.
Our overeating triggers are actually chains of events, like Christmas tree lights that go on in sequence. A stressful argument leads to feeling helpless, which leads to the kitchen, which leads to 10 packs of Ring-Dings.
So here’s the trick: short-circuit the chain.
On my CD audiobook “Change Your Body Change Your Life,” I call this “putting a chink in the link.” Break the circuit and the remaining lights don’t fire up.
First, isolate exactly what your five biggest hunger triggers are – loneliness, watching TV, anger, boredom, whatever. Write them down.
Now put a “chink in the link.” Substitute a new activity for the destructive activity, much like an addict learns to go to the gym and get “high” from running. Try any one of these simple activities next time you hit one of your triggers:
- Brush your teeth.
- Eat a pickle. Eating something completely different from what you’re craving tricks the brain and kills the craving. Try eating a hot pepper when you’re craving chocolate and you’ll instantly see what I mean.
- Reward yourself with a relaxing activity you normally wouldn’t do. Try a warm bath or uninterrupted reading of your favorite magazines.
- Go for a walk. The endorphins released will often balance the chemistry of a craving brain.
- Write down what you’re feeling. Try “being” with that feeling for five minutes.
[Ed. note: Dr. Bowden is a nationally known expert on weight loss, nutrition and health. He’s a board certified nutrition specialist with a Master’s degree in psychology. Dr. Bowden is also a life coach, motivational speaker, former personal trainer and author of the award-winning book, Living the Low Carb Life. For more information, click here.]
Mind/Body/Soul:
From Victim to Hero
By Dr. Matthew Anderson |
Top |
 Are you stuck in the Victim Syndrome? Confronting and shaking off the mentality of a victim could be the most courageous and life-transforming act of your life.
The Victim Syndrome is a self-destructive view of yourself and the world. It leads to powerlessness, blame, low self-esteem and resentment. If the Victim Syndrome is not identified and managed it can destroy your body and your relationships. It can also become a “family tradition” -- a way of seeing one’s position in society that has been passed down from generation to generation.
The checklist below can help you discover if you have been “infected” by the Victim Syndrome.
The Victim Syndrome Checklist.
To what degree do these items apply to your thinking, feeling and behaving?
1. I often feel powerless to change my life for the better.
2. I harbor a great deal of resentment toward others.
3. I often blame others (spouse, parents, economy, lack of education, etc.) for the unhappy circumstances in my life.
4. I can easily name “good” reasons for why I cannot change.
5. I have many friends and family that agree with my “good” reasons.
6. I have a hard time forgiving others.
7. I have a hard time forgiving myself.
8. I dislike or am uncomfortable with the word “responsibility.”
9. I resent and resist the idea of growing up.
10. I often fear life and its challenges.
11. When I am afraid I usually honor that fear and allow it to stop my productive action.
12. I often share my feelings of powerlessness with others.
13. I complain a lot.
14. I avoid people who encourage me to make positive changes.
15. I have not taken a significant risk in years.
16. I use my weight, gender, level of education, etc. as an excuse for my passivity.
17. I have decided that one cannot heal from past trauma.
18. I refuse to make a list of positive changes I want in my life or begin to make a plan of action.
19. I think that all these items apply to someone else.
Most of us have some of these attitudes some of the time. But if you find that more than a few of the statements below apply to you, then please find a good support group or therapist to help you escape the Victim Syndrome.
[Ed. note: Dr. Matthew Anderson is an author (The Prayer Diet), counselor (35 years) and national columnist/expert on weight loss, motivation, self-management and relationships. To find tough-minded, outside-the-box guidance for taking charge of your life and/or your weight including Eating to Kill, Wake-Up 101 and Weight Loss as a Spiritual Journey, click here.]
External Sponsorship
Lose Weight Without Dieting?
|
This unique audio weight loss program created by Dr. Matthew Anderson goes
to the heart of the little known but critical inner causes of weight gain.
It identifies the real reasons most people fail at weight loss and then
gives you effective tools to manage and overcome them.
Discover the techniques and processes Dr. A used himself to lose over 65 pounds in 8 months and keep the weight off for 4 years and counting…
Alternative Eating:
Eat Like a 2-Year-Old
By Dr. Tim Reynolds |
Top |
 If you have kids, you know what the headline to my article means. Two-year-olds are natural grazers. They eat a little here, a little there. They don’t sit down and gorge themselves, then starve themselves until the next feeding. They only start doing that once we teach them to. “Don’t eat that, you’ll spoil your dinner,” we say. Instead, we should be learning from them and eating six small meals a day.
Eating more often with less food makes sense no matter how old you are. It raises insulin levels less, which allows you to keep hormonal changes in better balance. If you eat six small meals a day, you will also be less hungry when you do eat. This means you will have a much better chance of eating nutritious foods instead of reaching for something high in sugar.
So if you want to control appetite, eat more nutritious foods and live a healthier life, I suggest you eat like a 2-year-old.
[Ed. Note: Tim Reynolds, M.D., is a practicing physician and a health and lifestyle expert. For more information, click here!]
Exercise & Fitness:
7 Bodyweight Exercises for a Total-Body Workout
By Craig Ballantyne |
Top |
 Many people don't have time to consistently go to the gym and want to work out at home. But how many exercises can you really do at home without clunky machines?
All that you need for a total-body workout.
This entire workout can be done using only your body’s weight as resistance. In fact, this workout allows you to use more muscles per exercise than you would at the pec-dec at your local gym. It should take no more than 24 minutes, but it will boost your metabolism for 24 hours.
Here's the workout. Beginners should do all exercises in the entire workout only once. Only those at advanced fitness levels should try the three-set system described below.
1. Bodyweight squat and
2. Pushup or kneeling pushup.
These are basic exercises and should need no description. Do exercises 1 and 2 back to back, with no rest (we call that a superset). Aim for 8-12 repetitions per set. If you are advanced, rest 1 minute before starting the next superset. Then rest a minute and repeat one more time.
3. Split squat and
4. Mountain climber.
A split squat is also called a stationary lunge. Split your feet apart by taking a step forward. Use the wall for balance if you are a beginner. Drop your hips straight down and use your glutes, hamstrings and quadriceps to push your body back up. Do all repetitions for one side and then repeat for the other side. Do 8 repetitions per side.
For the mountain climber, get into a pushup position. Brace your abs as if someone was going to punch you in the stomach. Maintain that during the entire exercise. Lift one foot off the ground and bring that knee up to your chest, then touch the foot down as if climbing up a mountain wall. Slowly return to the start position. Alternate sides for 10 repetitions per side.
Do exercises 3 and 4 as another superset as describe above. Do three supersets only if you are advanced.
5. Reverse lunge and
6. Close-grip pushup.
A reverse lunge is also called a moving split squat. Stand with your feet together. Take a step back with one leg. Drop your hips down and bend both knees. Then squeeze your butt and thigh of the front leg (the leg that didn't go anywhere) and pull yourself back up to the start position. Do 8 reps on one side and 8 on the other. Beginners, use the wall for balance.
The close-grip pushup is the same as the normal pushup, except your hands are shoulder width apart, not wider. Keep your elbows tucked into your sides. This works your triceps (the back of your arms) more. Do 8-15 repetitions.
7. Jumping jacks.
Finish the workout with the classic jumping jack exercise. Beginners, do 20 and then stretch. More advanced exercisers can do 50 jumping jacks, take a 30-second break, and repeat up to three times. Then finish with stretching for your tight muscle groups.
[Ed. Note: Craig Ballantyne is an expert consultant for Men's Health magazine. If you're looking to burn fat, build muscle and quickly step into the body you have always wanted with just three workouts each week, check out Craig's fat-loss system by clicking here.]
External Sponsorship
The Amazing Discovery Of The
Turbulence
Training Fat Loss System
|
Say goodbye to long, slow, boring cardio exercises and start incinerating maximum fat in minimum time with killer workouts you can do in the
privacy of your own home.
Click here for details and to get on board now!
Recipes & Nutrition:
Asparagus and Sun-Dried Tomato Frittata
By Kelley Lunsford |
Top |
 Farm-fresh eggs go Mediterranean in this one-dish meal that is perfect any time of the day. It provides sight-saving lutein and zeaxanthin, plus glutathione, an antioxidant that fights free radicals and detoxifies your body.
Serves: 6
Time to Table: 20 minutes
Healing Nutrient Spotlight
- Lutein, zeaxanthin, glutathione, omega-3
- Excellent source of riboflavin, selenium
- Good source of protein, vitamin B12, folate
Ingredients
1/4 cup organic sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
2 cups organic asparagus, blanched and chopped
2 Tbsp organic Parmesan cheese, grated
1 Tbsp organic butter
1/4 cup organic, 1% milk
6 large organic, omega-3 eggs
1/2 medium organic onion, diced
Preparation
Preheat oven to 325 F. In large bowl combine beaten eggs with the milk and Parmesan.
Heat the butter in a medium oven-safe sauté pan, and add the onion. Cook until the onion is translucent and golden.
Pour in the egg mixture and turn the heat down to low. Stir the eggs to fully cover the bottom of the pan. When the eggs begin to cook and take shape, stir in the chopped sun-dried tomatoes and asparagus. Place the sauté pan into the oven and continue to cook for 2 more minutes until the frittata is cooked around the edges and the center has puffed up.
Remove immediately form the oven. Invert the frittata onto a large platter and serve immediately.
Nutritional Information
120 calories, 8 g total fat, 3 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 2.6 g monounsaturated fat, 0.9 g polyunsaturated fat, 219 mg cholesterol, 162 mg sodium, 5 g carbohydrate, 1.3 g fiber, 3 g sugars, 9 g protein
[Ed. Note: Kelley Lunsford is the Founder & CEO of Healing Gourmet, a multimedia company that educates on how foods promote health and protect against disease. She is also the creator of Healing Gourmet's Personalized Nutrition Software and Editor-in-Chief of the Healing Gourmet book series published by McGraw-Hill, including Eat to Fight Cancer, Eat to Beat Diabetes, Eat to Lower Cholesterol and Eat to Boost Fertility. For more information, click
here.]
Top
|
