Wednesday, September 19, 2012
ARTICLE: STAYING POSITIVE DURING RETIREMENT
An excellent blog post from US News!
5 Ways to Stay Positive in Retirement
September 7, 2012 RSS Feed Print
Retirement literally means a removal or withdrawal from
service, often into privacy or seclusion. Retirees withdraw from a world
they have been entrenched in for many years when they remove themselves
from the working world.
However, I do not believe that the goal of those attaining age 65 is necessarily to hide from the rest of the world. Few retirees-to-be would describe their plans in terms of seclusion. While escaping the hectic nature of the working world is a commonly shared goal, retirement is also seen by many as a time to turn the page and begin a new chapter. Retirees are not done with life. They are just changing gears as they re-channel their energies toward new passions and experiences.
Unfortunately, there are some people who will experience a retirement that may accurately be described as secluded. Elderly people who have not prepared for the changes that are part and parcel of retired life may find themselves alone, uninspired, unchallenged, and living in a seclusion that is not their choice.
Many people underestimate the challenges of living a fulfilling and happy retirement. A 2011 National Public Radio, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Harvard School of Public Health survey found that about a quarter of retirees say life is worse after retirement. To avoid falling into such a predicament it is helpful to pursue positive goals as we transition into retirement:
1. Enjoy your grandchildren. What can be better than spending time with an energetic bundle of smiles and hugs, especially when their able parents can quickly be called upon to step in when their attitude becomes negative? Grandparents get to enjoy all of the good things about children, and hand over the reins when the bad comes along. A true joy of spending time with grandchildren is you can be part of first-time experiences that result in wide-eyed wonder and amazement. Sharing these new experiences not only brings back personal memories but bonds you together for a lifetime.
2. Get up and get out. When you move around your body and mind benefit. Sitting in one place for too long dulls the mind and slows the body. Rather than looking for the path requiring the least effort, get moving. Walk to the store rather than drive. After dinner, don’t flop in front of the TV until you have taken a journey around the block on your own two feet. And when you do watch TV, why not add in a little stretching or sit-ups or push-ups.
3. Smile. It is difficult to feel badly when you have a smile on your face. Being happy improves your quality of life and perhaps also the quantity of life. A British study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that older people who reported feeling happy and content during a typical day were 35 percent less likely to die during the course of the five-year study. And if smiling doesn’t work, what do you have to lose?
4. Watch or read something funny. How bad can things really be if you are laughing? I am a sucker for slapstick comedy, so The Three Stooges are the perfect tonic for all that ails me. Their antics may be a little low-brow for your tastes, but you probably have a particular comedian or actress that can always give you a chuckle. With all of the suffering we hear of each day, a little laughter can go a long way to improve our outlook.
5. Do something nice for someone. When we put the needs of another ahead of our own there is an inner satisfaction experienced that is hard to describe. A little thing done spontaneously without expectation of any reward can bring a smile to the face of the recipient as well as the giver. It is easy and opportunities present themselves with great frequency. You just have to be tuned in and ready to act when the moment arises.
Dave Bernard is the author of Are You Just Existing and Calling it a Life?, which offers guidelines to discover your personal passion and live a life of purpose. Not yet retired, Dave has begun his due diligence to plan for a fulfilling retirement. With a focus on the non-financial aspects of retiring, he shares his discoveries and insights on his blog Retirement–Only the Beginning.
(source =http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/On-Retirement/2012/09/07/5-ways-to-stay-positive-in-retirement)
However, I do not believe that the goal of those attaining age 65 is necessarily to hide from the rest of the world. Few retirees-to-be would describe their plans in terms of seclusion. While escaping the hectic nature of the working world is a commonly shared goal, retirement is also seen by many as a time to turn the page and begin a new chapter. Retirees are not done with life. They are just changing gears as they re-channel their energies toward new passions and experiences.
Unfortunately, there are some people who will experience a retirement that may accurately be described as secluded. Elderly people who have not prepared for the changes that are part and parcel of retired life may find themselves alone, uninspired, unchallenged, and living in a seclusion that is not their choice.
Many people underestimate the challenges of living a fulfilling and happy retirement. A 2011 National Public Radio, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Harvard School of Public Health survey found that about a quarter of retirees say life is worse after retirement. To avoid falling into such a predicament it is helpful to pursue positive goals as we transition into retirement:
1. Enjoy your grandchildren. What can be better than spending time with an energetic bundle of smiles and hugs, especially when their able parents can quickly be called upon to step in when their attitude becomes negative? Grandparents get to enjoy all of the good things about children, and hand over the reins when the bad comes along. A true joy of spending time with grandchildren is you can be part of first-time experiences that result in wide-eyed wonder and amazement. Sharing these new experiences not only brings back personal memories but bonds you together for a lifetime.
2. Get up and get out. When you move around your body and mind benefit. Sitting in one place for too long dulls the mind and slows the body. Rather than looking for the path requiring the least effort, get moving. Walk to the store rather than drive. After dinner, don’t flop in front of the TV until you have taken a journey around the block on your own two feet. And when you do watch TV, why not add in a little stretching or sit-ups or push-ups.
3. Smile. It is difficult to feel badly when you have a smile on your face. Being happy improves your quality of life and perhaps also the quantity of life. A British study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that older people who reported feeling happy and content during a typical day were 35 percent less likely to die during the course of the five-year study. And if smiling doesn’t work, what do you have to lose?
4. Watch or read something funny. How bad can things really be if you are laughing? I am a sucker for slapstick comedy, so The Three Stooges are the perfect tonic for all that ails me. Their antics may be a little low-brow for your tastes, but you probably have a particular comedian or actress that can always give you a chuckle. With all of the suffering we hear of each day, a little laughter can go a long way to improve our outlook.
5. Do something nice for someone. When we put the needs of another ahead of our own there is an inner satisfaction experienced that is hard to describe. A little thing done spontaneously without expectation of any reward can bring a smile to the face of the recipient as well as the giver. It is easy and opportunities present themselves with great frequency. You just have to be tuned in and ready to act when the moment arises.
Dave Bernard is the author of Are You Just Existing and Calling it a Life?, which offers guidelines to discover your personal passion and live a life of purpose. Not yet retired, Dave has begun his due diligence to plan for a fulfilling retirement. With a focus on the non-financial aspects of retiring, he shares his discoveries and insights on his blog Retirement–Only the Beginning.
(source =http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/On-Retirement/2012/09/07/5-ways-to-stay-positive-in-retirement)
PANIC DISORDER: PROFESSIONAL WORKSHOP
October 5th ADAVIC will present a professional development workshop "Panic Disorder: Diagnosis and treatment" hosted by Dr Scott Blair-West, Consultant Psychiatrist, Friday October 5th.
The workshop will aim to provide an understanding of the nature of panic attacks; a developed ability to take an appropriate history of the condition and complications; how to use specific strategies, including ability to demonstrate each to patients and develop the capacity to assess progress and make changes in treatment resistant patients.
Also, the workshop will address diagnosis, assessment, preparation for treatment and specific treatment strategies in the management of panic, as well as addressing specific case material and encouraging attendees to discuss their own patients' symptoms and issues. Discussion of the overlap between panic and GAD, health anxiety, OCD and social anxiety and issues related to treatment resistance will also be included.
Panic attacks are a common symptom of Panic Disorder, but also complicate a range of anxiety disorders, depression and even psychotic conditions.
Current models of panic emphasize the catastrophic misinterpretation of physical sensations as the crucial aspect leading to the development of recurrent panic attacks and associated agoraphobia.
The workshop is mainly targeted to psychologists and allied health staff in clinical practice, psychiatrists, trainee psychiatrists, general practitioners and others with an interest in panic and related disorders and the cognitive-behavioural treatment of these conditions. Some knowledge of panic and CBT would be helpful but not essential.
Workshop Outline:
| 8:30am | Registration |
| 9:00am – 10:45am |
|
| 10:45am –11:00am | Morning tea |
| 11:00am – 12:45pm |
|
| 12:45pm – 1:15pm | Lunch |
| 1:15pm – 2:45pm |
|
| 2:45pm – 3:00pm | Afternoon Tea |
| 3:00pm – 5:30pm |
|
| 5.30pm | End of workshop |
About Dr Scott Blair-West
Dr Blair-West trained at the Austin Hospital completing his specialist qualifications in Psychiatry in 1993. He subsequently worked as lecturer in the Department of Psychiatry in the consultation liaison department for 5 years, whilst starting a private practice specialising in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for anxiety disorders especially OCD. He has been in full time private practice since 1998 and has been the Medical Director of the Anxiety and Depression Program (ADP) at The Melbourne Clinic since 2002. Scott now specialises in comprehensive management of anxiety disorders, developing new and intensive inpatient programs for OCD, novel treatment approaches for OCD, and CBT supervision for psychiatrists and trainees. He regularly teaches CBT to trainees and talks to community and self-help groups on anxiety related issues.
Support ADAVIC and book today!
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
AN INTERSETING READ: SOCIAL NETWORKING ANXIETY DISORDER
an article from here
Suffering From Social Networking Anxiety Disorder
Written by Nicole Ferraro
Social networking is fab, isn't it? The rekindled friendships, the fun quizzes and game applications, the mind-altering, crippling anxiety...
This could just be the before-effects of Memorial Day bar-b-que fumes decaying my remaining brain matter, but I think it's time to coin a new buzzphrase: Social Networking Anxiety Disorder, or as we'll call it from here on out, SNAD.
To be clear, SNAD is a bit different from what psychiatrists have defined as Social Anxiety Disorder, or SAD. According to the DSM IV, the guidebook to all things mental, SAD is "a persistent fear of one or more social or performance situations in which the person is exposed to unfamiliar people or to possible scrutiny by others" (a.k.a. "Life").
SNAD, on the other hand, is caused by stress from the pressures of social networking: the constant Friend requests, Scrabulous requests, photo tag requests, group and event invitations... Consider also the anxiety of creating things like "limited profiles," carefully managing how much of ourselves to reveal to our virtual associates -- and that accompanying, nagging, guilty question: "Will this person realize I restricted his ability to see my Super Wall?"
Speaking on a recent O'Reilly Webcast ( The Facebook Application Ecosystem: Why Some Thrive -- and Most Don't), Shelly Farnham, doctor of social psychology, said, "A common problem in social networking applications is it's hard to say no to people who want to be your friend," adding that a number of applications ease this pain by allowing you to isolate 25 Friends (e.g., Top Friends).
But what about when someone you don't consider to be a "Top Friend" per se requests to be part of that elite list? Truth be told, our social algorithms and applications just can't capture the complexities of human relationships.
Not sure if you're suffering? Here are three symptoms of SNAD to look out for. If you have any of these, you should contact your mental-health-professional avatar immediately.
1. You were considering breaking up with your significant other, but decided to stick it out because of the anxiety associated with changing your Relationship Status on Facebook and de-tagging hundreds of photos.
2. You currently have 36+ Friend requests festering on Facebook or MySpace, which have built up month over month because you don't want your rejection to send these strangers on a downward, emotional spiral.
3. You belong to several groups including "I Skin Cats on Sundays" and "Cousins Make Great Husbands," because, well, they were nice enough to invite you...
Silly symptoms aside, it's true that there's a certain anxiety that comes along with social networking, whether it's from the pressure of keeping people up to date, or the guilt in rejecting a Friend request. Certainly, if we recognize something like Internet Addiction and set up camps for the sufferers, we can recognize the mental tolls of social networking.
You could, of course, just make your profile private to all but a few special Friends. But once one less special Friend finds out you have a profile you've never told her about, it's right back to the days of nail biting, hives, and Lexapro.
— Nicole Ferraro, Site Editor, Internet Evolution
Suffering From Social Networking Anxiety Disorder
Written by Nicole Ferraro
Social networking is fab, isn't it? The rekindled friendships, the fun quizzes and game applications, the mind-altering, crippling anxiety...
This could just be the before-effects of Memorial Day bar-b-que fumes decaying my remaining brain matter, but I think it's time to coin a new buzzphrase: Social Networking Anxiety Disorder, or as we'll call it from here on out, SNAD.
To be clear, SNAD is a bit different from what psychiatrists have defined as Social Anxiety Disorder, or SAD. According to the DSM IV, the guidebook to all things mental, SAD is "a persistent fear of one or more social or performance situations in which the person is exposed to unfamiliar people or to possible scrutiny by others" (a.k.a. "Life").
SNAD, on the other hand, is caused by stress from the pressures of social networking: the constant Friend requests, Scrabulous requests, photo tag requests, group and event invitations... Consider also the anxiety of creating things like "limited profiles," carefully managing how much of ourselves to reveal to our virtual associates -- and that accompanying, nagging, guilty question: "Will this person realize I restricted his ability to see my Super Wall?"
Speaking on a recent O'Reilly Webcast ( The Facebook Application Ecosystem: Why Some Thrive -- and Most Don't), Shelly Farnham, doctor of social psychology, said, "A common problem in social networking applications is it's hard to say no to people who want to be your friend," adding that a number of applications ease this pain by allowing you to isolate 25 Friends (e.g., Top Friends).
But what about when someone you don't consider to be a "Top Friend" per se requests to be part of that elite list? Truth be told, our social algorithms and applications just can't capture the complexities of human relationships.
Not sure if you're suffering? Here are three symptoms of SNAD to look out for. If you have any of these, you should contact your mental-health-professional avatar immediately.
1. You were considering breaking up with your significant other, but decided to stick it out because of the anxiety associated with changing your Relationship Status on Facebook and de-tagging hundreds of photos.
2. You currently have 36+ Friend requests festering on Facebook or MySpace, which have built up month over month because you don't want your rejection to send these strangers on a downward, emotional spiral.
3. You belong to several groups including "I Skin Cats on Sundays" and "Cousins Make Great Husbands," because, well, they were nice enough to invite you...
Silly symptoms aside, it's true that there's a certain anxiety that comes along with social networking, whether it's from the pressure of keeping people up to date, or the guilt in rejecting a Friend request. Certainly, if we recognize something like Internet Addiction and set up camps for the sufferers, we can recognize the mental tolls of social networking.
You could, of course, just make your profile private to all but a few special Friends. But once one less special Friend finds out you have a profile you've never told her about, it's right back to the days of nail biting, hives, and Lexapro.
— Nicole Ferraro, Site Editor, Internet Evolution
ANNUAL BUNNINGS SAUSAGE SIZZLE!
On Saturday 22nd
September ADAVIC will be holding its Annual Bunnings Sausage Sizzle Fundraiser
at the Hawthorn Bunnings Store (230
Burwood Road, Hawthorn). If you are in the area
and have some free time, come along and meet the gang from ADAVIC and buy one
of our yummy snags that Frank, our awesome chef, will be serving up and meet
some of our fabulous volunteers. We will be at Bunnings from 9.00 am to 4.00 pm
– so try and drop in to support our cause!
SOCIAL ANXIETY IN A CONNECTED WORLD - RESEARCH PARTICIPANTS NEEDED
ONLINE DEPRESSION THERAPY PARTICIPANTS SOUGHT
An RMIT University study is looking for participants to help test an online group therapy program to treat depression.
Around one million Australian adults live with depression each year, but fewer than half will seek medical treatment.
Although online one-on-one therapy programs exist, this study represents the first time structured group therapy for depression has been conducted via the internet.
Ms Arrow said the online program aimed to decrease depression and increase quality of life for participants.
"Social isolation can have a big impact on people suffering depression," she said.
"By encouraging participants to talk about their experiences with their peers, we can re-engage them with the community and reduce their isolation."
Ms Arrow said online interventions could promote access to psychological care in rural and remote regions, with those based in cities almost twice as likely to access care as those in remote areas.
She is looking to recruit Australian-based adults suffering depression to take part in a nine-week trial of the MoodGroup program.
Participants will be required to meet online for two hours each week and complete homework tasks lasting around two hours.
Discussion groups will include eight participants and will be monitored by provisional clinical psychologists.
To take part in the study, participants will need to have access to the internet and complete an online survey to determine suitability.
Anyone interested in contributing to this study can find out more by visiting the MoodGroup program web page or by calling (03) 9925 7776.
The project is supervised by Associate Professor Andrea Chester and Dr Keong Yap.
For interviews: Kerry Arrow, 0452 466 448.
For general media enquiries: Alan Gill, RMIT Science, Engineering and Health Communications, (03) 9925 9772 or 0419 591 102.
(source)
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