Positivity

The book that I want to recommend is called Positivity: A Book That Can Change Your Life. My dad recommended it to me, he suffers slightly from PTSD. He is in the military, and deals with a lot of stress. This book is a self-help book that has many different suggestions to maintain your different levels of stress, and ways for you to become and stay happy, and each tip that it gives is all affirmed by research.The author, Doctor Barbara Fredrickson, has several books about her positive psychology theories. In this one, she provides multiple different ideas that include:

• There are ten main positive emotional states that contribute to the broadening of our perspective and building of resources: joy, gratitude, serenity, interest, hope, pride, amusement, inspiration, awe, and love
• Negative emotions help move us to action, and these actions tend to propel us toward choices that impact our immediate survival or chances of reproduction
• Positive emotions tend to move us toward choices that have a future benefit, or enhance our wellbeing over time
• Our emotions have a three-to-one ratio. For every three positive emotions, there can be one negative emotion that keeps everything balanced

This book really helped my dad, and the tips that it gives are very helpful. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a quick and simple read of tips to for happiness and stress management. Even if you are not someone that suffers from stress regularly or a mental disorder, you should check it out

" PTSD is very common, and there are a number of people that have it. It doesn’t just affect the people suffering, but also the people that they are close to. If you are suffering from PTSD and know that the relationships that are close to you are suffering because of it as well, you don’t have to worry anymore. There are ways to communicate and fix those issues. But first, you have to begin by talking about it and being open. You cannot make any problematic situation better until you acknowledge it.

Not to worry! If you have trouble communicating your feelings about your PTSD or someone you love’s PTSD, just remember that no problem can go unsolved. There are many people out there that feel the same way you do, and together on this blog we can all help each other.

According to the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs, 7 or 8 out of every 100 people will experience some type of PTSD in their lives. That is a huge number, so whoever you are, you are not alone. Most people want to hide or ignore their PTSD until it gets so bad that they explode or just can’t take it anymore. This blog is a place where you can vent about your experiences and learn from other people’s experiences. "

Hi everyone! My Book review is for a book called Difficult Conversations. I feel as though this book could be a good fit as far as the overall subject of our blog because stress is a big part of a student's life. I feel as though at least a bit of that stressed could be relieved with proper communication.

There are three types of conversation that the books focuses on and all are important in making sure that both sides were heard.

The "what happened" conversation stems from the part of the conversation that involves the lack of understanding form each side. When the talk goes bad, it leaves both people wondering "what happened?"
This is best avoided by checking emotions at the door and also by being ready to listen with an open mind.

The second aspect of conversation involves the actual feeling that each is expressing during the conversation (i.e. anger,sadness, betrayal, etc). This is when it's best to accept the fact that it's alright to have these feelings. Also, try and stay civil. This can be hard, as we all know. Focus on the good of the conversation.

The third tackles the feelings that each of us have after the conversation has already passed (I'm a bad person, I don't deserve them o they don't deserve me as a friend, etc). We have to tell ourselves that these feelings are normal as well, especially when the other person involved is someone close to you. We are our own harshest critics and it shouldn't be that way. We are all imperfect to some degree.

There are always thoughts and feelings to be had but what is important is that we not let them get in the way of our successes in life regardless of where those potential successes may take place. At home, school, work, or in a social setting.Stress is a natural part of life sadly. Try and set a limit on the existence of that stress and be good to one another as often as possible.                           

                On our blog, we have talked a little bit about aspects of life that can be stressful and talked about mental health. I thought it would be a great idea to ask people of various ages about how they deal with stress in positive ways. Hope this video clip is helpful!! :) 

             -Amy 

Note of Interest

PTSD

 

The issue of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder has always been a problem starting back in history. There needs to be more awareness about PTSD as it affects not only the soldier, but also many who are close to the solider. According to Candice M. Monson, Casey T. Taft, and Steffany J. Fredman (all involved with the Department of Veterans' Affairs National Center for PTSD at Boston University School of Medicine), PTSD has become an increasingly sensitive and recognized issue in the military community during the United State’s involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. Operations such as Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Enduring freedom (OEF) have shed light on just how detrimental exposure to traumatic stress can be to a veteran’s mental welfare. Veterans who are afflicted with PTSD hold higher divorce rates than average. They also have been shown to have much higher anxiety levels and more difficulty being emotionally expressive (707). As hard as it may be to deal with PTSD, the family issues that can develop can have a long lasting affect as well. No person should have to deal with such problems alone. More attention needs to be brought to this conflict to let all who deal with PTSD first hand and significant others know they are not alone.

Families need to be more educated about the barriers that PTSD can bring into the home. It starts with the issues of the soldier who is suffering then leads to issues within the family causing conflict to arise among people who have a close relationship with the sufferer. Research has shown that throughout history PTSD has affected families of military members. Evidence consistently states that veterans who have been diagnosed with chronic Posttraumatic Stress Disorder encounter more prevalent relationship problems and worse family adjustment than veterans who were not diagnosed. Studies also show that male veterans diagnosed with PTSD were more likely to engage in physical and psychological aggression towards their children and partners. The research indicates that it is not the direct exposure to combat that leads to relationship problems, but the post traumatic psychopathology that can progress and develop after the veteran has returned from combat (708). All types of conflict and heartache can come up within the family environment based off one of their close family members struggling with PTSD. It is important for families to become educated about what they can do to help their family member deal with PSTD. There are resources out there to provide families and the PTSD sufferer with support and to recognize the fact that there is help.

Monson, C. M., Taft, C. T., & Fredman, S. J. (2009). Military-related PTSD and intimate relationships: From description to theory-driven research and intervention development. Clinical Psychology Review, 29, 707-714. Retrieved February 11, 2014, from http://www.sciencedirect.com.ezproxy.lib.utah.edu/

Death By Stress

Mental Health

While  I don’t have any conditions that you could call severe. I know someone very close to me that is Schizophrenic. PSTD and Schizophrenia have more in common than most people know. Symptoms include delusions, paranoia, a lack of both emotion and motivation. I’ve been there for him all his life and for some reason now,  I’ve tended to think about him more. It feels odd to actually go into detail about it. I have seen a lot as a result of what he is going through. He takes several forms of medication to counteract it. I’ve been to meetings where there are other people he interacts with those who suffer from similar conditions or conditions that are closely correlated to it in some way .(i.e. drug and alcohol abuse, other mental disorders, etc) There’s a lot of research that suggests that there are many other potential factors that have a bearing on it as well. Genetics as well as parenting styles themselves. To put a positive spin on this disorder, The film A Beautiful Mind starring Russell Crowe from two thousand one was a positive example of what could be achieved despite Schizophrenia. John Nash, a famous Mathematician won the Nobel Prize for Economics (that is a rough subject I feel!)  in nineteen ninety four.  I feel it kind of out of place talking about this but I also feel it is relevant. I hope someone agrees with me.  These are both clearly notable conditions that should be addressed continuously. Thanks everyone!   

-Raul

Stressed Out