16 July 2015

The impact of stress and what to do about it


A couple of years ago when my wife was picking me up from a meeting, I broke my foot just by pivoting on a flat surface. It’s actually quite embarrassing. However, at this point in my life I was starting my second year of graduate school, my hours at work were in limbo, and I just came from a meeting where I was voted onto the board. I understand now, looking back, that I was under a lot of stress and was vulnerable to injury.

Stress is a word that receives a lot of attention, and usually negatively. People often say exhaustedly “I’m so stressed,” with their face in their palms, and then wonder what life would be like stress-free.

Actually, it doesn’t matter if the stress is positive, such as a wedding or buying a house; or negative like a deadline. To the body, stress is stress, even if it is expected. Stress is cumulative, a build up of the everyday wear and tear.

As stress builds up, there are some common symptoms: headaches, flushed face, stiff neck, difficulty breathing, stomach pangs, shaky legs, feet & hands, cramps, and pounding heart, just to name a few. When these symptoms hit, there is a loss in energy, increase vulnerability to illness and injury, and is often referred to as burn out, or rust out. It’s important to realize that burn out, while similar, it is also unique.

A common stress problem solving thought is to ‘remove’ the stressor. But if the stress is originating from parenting, work, relationships, health, and life milestones (i.e. graduation, marriage) – these are typically out of an individual’s control, and can’t be removed. There may be little things that contribute to the cumulative stress that can be lessened, but for the most part, it is best to change priorities and find activities that help you recharge and rejuvenate.

Activities that recharge and rejuvenate don’t need to be elaborate or lengthy; they can be little and short. Just a couple of ideas: going for a walk, reading a book, yoga, meditation, mindfulness, gaming (video or board), taking a bath, and the list could go on because each of us has different ways of recharging. Get creative; make it a priority to take care of yourself. Sometimes you may need to accommodate, such as going on a walk with your children or doing a yoga exercise with them.

But what is actually the most simplistic, yet shocking way, of dealing with stress, is changing our perception of stress. Changing it from being this yucky-negative thing to realizing and understanding that stress is something that everyone goes through, that we can learn from it and it helps us build our character. It is possible to have successful stressful situations.

In the end, research has shown that if we view stress through a positive perception, that alone can increase longevity, not to mention increase our overall wellbeing and health.

30 June 2015

Does Beauty Have An Age In The Media?

Maybe the better question is does sex appeal have an age? Or does the media, particular media targeted towards males have an ideal age for attractiveness? Well, either way, the answer is 26... explained below.

I went to a list website and found FHM's Top 100 list, only grabbing the top 10 ages from the past ten years. (Acknowledged shortfall is that this isn't able to be generalized because it is the FHM's readership).

I went back ten years, 2014 to 2005, and tried to see if beauty has an age.

Here are the year by year findings:

2005
Average 24.2 Top 5 24.4 Bottom 5      24
2006
Average 24.7 Top 5 24.2 Bottom 5     25.2
2007
Average 25.1 Top 5 25.6 Bottom 5     24.6
2008
Average 24.2 Top 5 23.2 Bottom 5     25.2
2009
Average 26.8 Top 5 25.6 Bottom 5       28
2010
Average 26.1 Top 5 25.6 Bottom 5     26.6
2011
Average 27.3 Top 5 25.2 Bottom 5     29.4
2012
Average 25.8 Top 5 25.2 Bottom 5     26.4
2013
Average 26.7 Top 5 27.6 Bottom 5     25.8
2014
Average 28.2 Top 5 25.8 Bottom 5     30.6

Overall: 
The average age of the Top 10 is 26.1; The average age of the Top 5 of the Top 10 is 25.2; and the average age of the Bottom 5 of the Top 10 is 26.9.

Extra Thoughts:
In all the years but 2005, 2007, & 2013; the Bottom 5 on average were older than the Top 5.

What is also interesting, is that the average age of the Top 10 seems to be "ageing" - maybe this is ageing with the readership.

I also noted that some of the female names correlated with recent roles they were cast in; and also if an album/music video came out that year. Such as Kiera Knightly topping the charts in 2006 (She was in Pirates of the Caribbean and Pride & Prejudize); and Megan Fox in 2008 (She was in Transformers); just to name a few.

21 June 2015

Father's Day: 7 Things Amazing Dads Do

This article was originally written in the Meridan Magazine, by Jonathan Decker.

  1. Be A Good Man
  2. Love/Respect Their Mother
  3. Work Hard, But Make Regular Time For Your Children
  4. Share Your Interests, But Encourage Your Kids In Theirs
  5. Influence Instead of Control
  6. Openly Express Affection
  7. Don't Lose Your Playful Side

09 June 2015

Supporting a child or teen with mental health concerns

Kelty Mental Health has pieced together these two great videos to help families understand what to do, where to start and what to expect when supporting their child/teen with mental health concerns.