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I write about stress all the time – from a professional point of view but today I write as a ‘victim’ of stress. I am meant to be working with a group of people at Fairbanks but our Volcano ‘god’, Mt Redoubt, is very unhappy. Two large eruptions yesterday, one sending ash up to 66,000 feet, have created chaos. Flights canceled, people rushing to get safety gear for themselves and their houses, trying to find air filters for their vehicles. All of our friends have volcano kits – masks, flashlights, candles, eye protection, plenty of water – and we have to fill up any cracks or holes that might let ash into our house.

All of this adds considerable stress to one’s life – I’m not complaining. Living in Alaska is amazing –  the Iditarod, the snow, the wonderful fishing, the climate, the people. In some strange way, even having to deal with volcanic eruptions adds a touch of spice to life in The Last Frontier.

OK I’m lucky – this is not a huge deal but the situation does create extra stress; it requires me to make quick decisions, contact people, re-arrange timetables. If I can handle stress easily and productively, this will not be problematic. But what if I like predictability and certainty? Then my stress escalates. Anyway, I’ll re-read my articles on managing stress and play the wait-and-see game.

There are two ways to cope with stressors like these. I can focus on my emotions, get upset and worried, grieve about lost opportunities, get anxious about missed opportunities, even get mildly depressed. Emotion focused coping, as it is called, is a useful coping strategy as long as it does not overtake action. I encourage people to honor their emotions, however, we have to do things. I have to email the folk I was meeting; I have to set up alternative technology for what was to be a whole-day seminar. I have to arrange for materials to be emailed. I have to prepare new Powerpoints. I have to work with my team to set up either video conferencing, or Skype, or video share on Elluminate) a web based teaching tool). All of these arrangements require action – the planful, problem solving form of coping.

Oddly enough, both of these are essential coping mechanisms. But, in their own way, each adds a particular form of stress. Emotion focused coping adds internal stress (grieving, worry, anxiety, depression) while problem solving requires creative stress, organizational stress, even an emotional element – will it work?

All of this because the Alaskan volcano god decided to let us know he (or she) was unhappy. OK – so Mt Redoubt is NOT a god – just joking. It really is a vent formed by movement of the earth’s tectonic plates; a vent that permits the escape of gases, ash, and molten rock that reside below the earth’s crust. God or natural force – today it has caused me some additional work stress.

Warm regards

Dr Jeff

For the team at Mighty Digital Downloads

PS Get the impact from the Youtube video below!

Dr Jeff, a psychologist, writes about workplace stress, personal stress, interpersonal stress, and how to manage stress. On his blog,http://www.drjeffbailey.com, he answers questions from readers. He works hard to make his articles practical and helpful and all of his articles are based on sound research evidence and extensive clinical experience. Please go to his Dr Jeff blog to get your free report on stress.

The short answer to this important question is ‘Yes’. The more important response is an explanation of ‘How’ and ‘Why’. Knowing about your body’s needs is important when planning a portion control menu that will help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight. There are four (4) main food groups that supply essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients for your body:

1. Grain and Wheat

2. Dairy and Cheese

3. Vegetables and Fruit

4. Meat, Fish, and Alternatives

One common characteristic of most diets is that they limit or eliminate entire food groups from their menus because they are deemed unhealthy and unpopular at the time. Many diets restrict food groups and minimize the inclusion of nutrients, such as fats and protein, in the dietary plan. This is not the way portion control eating works. Your body requires a variety of essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals found in carbohydrates, proteins, fats, sugars, and water. The secret is knowing where to find these nutrients and how much of each your body needs. Armed with this information you will be well equipped to make sensible decisions about what and how much food you eat.

The inclusion of carbohydrates in any weight loss menu is important because foods containing carbohydrates have essential nutrients for the body and provide a much needed energy supply to the body. There are good and bad carbs. Highly processed carbohydrates typically raise blood sugar levels and eventually lead to that ‘crashing’ feeling you experience once they are processed through the body. Complex carbohydrates are good carbs. They pack the most nutritional value and promote appetite suppression. Brown rice and whole wheat flour are examples of good carbs. These foods are not only valuable sources of energy but an effective means of keeping your rumbling ‘hungry tummy’ quiet much longer.

To remain healthy, your body needs a regular intake of foods containing protein. We can’t afford to do without it because protein is another essential nutrient for the body and is used to create muscle mass, to support healthy cell creation and function, and to strengthen the immune system. Proteins are found primarily in meats, poultry, dairy products, and fish, beans and legumes. Protein is found predominantly in meat (lean is the best by far) and fish. A portion of these foods representing a third of your meal in your portion control meal provides your body with a healthy intake of protein.

Foods containing fats have been deemed unpopular across recent years. They have been reduced or completely excluded from many diet plans. Because fats are important to your diet however they are included in portion control menus, but they should be restricted to between 20 to 35% of your daily intake – targeting less than 30%. There are healthy fats and not-so-healthy fats so it’s important to know the difference. The best source of fats are from meats, oils, nuts, and dairy products. The most important information you need to know when including fats in your eating plan is the foods that contain healthy fats.

Foods containing a group of processed fats known as Transfats need to be avoided or eaten in small portions and only occasionally. They are basically healthy fats that have been hydrogenated to increase their shelf life and flavor. They are found in high percentages of cakes, cookies, and snack foods. Transfats are known to raise LDL (unhealthy cholesterol), levels in the body. High LDL levels can lead to serious heart disease.

Transfats do not contribute to weight loss or the development of a healthy body and their inclusion in your portion control eating plan should be considered carefully. The key is to significantly reduce the amount of saturated fats in your diet and to manage these is to watch the amount of fat you consume from meat and dairy. Make use of low-fat or fat-free choices. Remember it’s often at the store that you make the most important decisions about portion control meals.

Many foods contain fats that are good for your body and are referred to as healthy fats. These fats add to the condition of your skin and hair and need to appear on your menu regularly. Olive oil is a sensible and healthy choice for fats since it contains monounsaturated fat, which reduces the LDL levels in your body and, in turn, lowers your risk of heart disease. It is a healthier choice for fats, especially the lighter extra-virgin olive oil choices and recommended in portion control eating plans. In addition to olive oil, you should also consider canola, peanut, sunflower, and soybean oils. Many of these oils are now used in products such as mayonnaise to make them healthier for you

Portion control eating plans include foods from each of the four major food groups. These choices reflect an understanding of the right kind of foods within some of these categories. You can achieve and keep a healthy body weight through portion control, losing excess weight and most importantly keep it off. By including smaller portions of foods that are more calorific on your menu, you will discover how to make eating an enjoyable way of life rather than another grueling diet. By eating sensible portions of the right foods you will avoid feeling hungry and stay healthy by giving your body everything it needs.

Connie Diekman, Director of Nutrition at Washington University, St Louis has to more to say about how to get healthy and stay healthy using portion control here.

Warm Regards

Rowena French

For The Team @MightyDigitalDownloads.com

Rowena French uses responsible portion control to successfully manage her own weight and her family’s health. Tired of dieting without success? Sign up to my free magazine to learn more about how to use portion control for healthy, permanent weight loss. If you haven’t already subscribed to my free product sample, watch my preview video for more information about the whole portion control package.

What do you do when times are tough? Look at the current US economy. President Obama is making every effort to revive an economy that is in a downward spiral. Pundits are concerned about not only the current one trillion dollar proposed deficit in the national budget but the prospect of year after year of national deficit. Financial gloom meets us at every corner. Unemployment is increasing – the Bureau of Labor Statistics paints a vivid picture of job losses: “The unemployment rate rose from 7.6 to 8.1 percent, payroll employment has declined by 2.6 million in the past 4 months. The number of unemployed persons increased by 851,000 to 12.5 million in February, and the unemployment rate rose to 8.1 percent.  Over the past 12 months, the number of unemployed persons has increased by about 5.0 million, and the unemployment rate has risen by 3.3 percentage points”.

The newspapers also tell the story: many firms are downsizing or closing their doors. Nokia (dropped 1700 jobs), The Sportsmen’s Warehouse (sold off many of its shops – though not in Alaska!), Caterpillar (5000 jobs), Sprint Nextel (8000), General Motors (2000 jobs), Home Depot (8000 jobs), and even Microsoft is considering job cuts.

All of this is happening at a time when there is widespread outrage at the massive bonuses being paid to AIG executives. Today’s local newspaper gives accounts of public protests, death threats, increased police presence around the homes of wealthy executives in the ‘Gold Coast’ area of New York, warnings to employees not to wear company badges or identification, and so on. Yesterday there was talk about Congress enacting a bill to tax 90% of the AIG bonuses.

All the negative news about unemployment, recession budget deficits, job cuts etc sounds big warning bells, increases anxiety, intensifies feelings of unpredictability, threatens personal security, and elevates personal stress and work stress. Anxiety has many faces but typically we think of situation specific anxiety (e.g., test anxiety) and generalized anxiety. Anxiety is a psychological response to stress. Anxiety can manifest itself in many ways: somatically (bodily or physiological reactions like elevated blood pressure, stomach aches, palpitations, even nausea), emotional reactions (such as irritability, being short tempered, feeling tense), cognitive difficulties (inability to be able to concentrate, short-term memory lapses), and behavioral reactions (engagement in risky physical behaviors, elevated activity levels, or lowered activity).

Charles Spielberger’s early research pointed to two ‘types’ of anxiety – state and trait. Trait anxiety is a long term representation of elevated stress and consequent anxiety, almost a personality characteristic for an individual. State anxiety is short term and reactive. One of his tests of state anxiety will give you an idea of the associated feelings one has with state anxiety. Here are the key emotional terms: calm, secure, tense, regretful, at ease, upset, worried, at ease, anxious, comfortable, self-confident, nervous, jittery, high-strung, relaxed, content, over-excited, rattled, joyful, and pleasant.

Some of these are positive feelings; most are negative. In terms of overcoming the work stress, or worries about being sacked, or not being able to pay your mortgage, or pay for the kids’ college tuition fees, consider some of these words and work out a strategy. Let’s take calm and contented. Sit down with your partner and write down your specific fears. Test these fears to see if there is any evidence that what you are worried about (job loss) might happen. Make a list of all the positive things in your life. Develop a feeling of calmness, contentment and satisfaction. Give thanks for what you have and celebrate your achievements. Put a positive face on the current situation. Get rid of the negative feelings that YOU have created (feeling jittery, tense, upset, high-strung). Note that all of these negative feelings are a result of your failure to put things into perspective and maintain a positive, balanced view of life.

If things are really tough, instead of sweating it, plan for bad times. I like the idea of President Barrack and Michelle and the kids planting a vegetable garden in the White House grounds. During the Second World War people worked on what was called their ‘Victory Gardens’. This is a classic example of finding positive strategies to increase confidence and reduce anxiety – and at a catastrophic time in our history.

I am not trying to diminish the importance of facing the facts and being realistic about job losses and financial challenges. I am trying to put a positive face on the work stress and personal stress so that you deal proactively and effectively with the challenge – and so that you will suppress and eliminate negative self-talk. You CAN control workplace stress and by so doing you can make yourself much less stressed and anxious and more productive and positive. Go out and dig that garden (physically or metaphorically) and you will reduce and relieve stress. Good luck.

Warm regards

Dr Jeff

For the team at Mighty Digital Downloads

PS Some neat ideas from the Youtube video below!

Whenever you start a new diet you generally discover that at some stage you will need to abstain from at least one food group- which ever one is deemed to be the ‘bad guy’ at the time. The greatest ‘weight gain’ culprits over recent years have been carbohydrates and fats. Portion control eating does not subscribe to abstinence from carbs, fats nor any foods as a means of long term weight loss. Instead it promotes eating the right sized portions of these and all foods.

The benefit of eating carbohydrates as part a weight loss program can be confusing as there are some carbs that should be eaten and others that should not. Highly processed carbohydrates typically raise blood sugar levels and eventually lead to you feeling ‘down’ once they are processed through the body. Complex carbohydrates pack the most nutritional value and promote appetite suppression. Brown rice and whole wheat flour are examples of good carbs and an important component in any portion control menu they will stave off your hunger longer.

The inclusion of fats in your portion control menu is important but the total amount of fat you eat should be monitored and generally less than 30% of your daily food consumption. As is the case with carbs there are healthy fats and not-so-healthy fats so it’s important to know the difference. Fat can be obtained from meats, dairy, nuts, and oils and knowing where to find the healthiest fats is important.

You can eat sugar or artificial sweeteners and still lose weight, it’s just a matter of how much. Using natural sugars may be more satisfying but either source should be used in moderation. Unlike most fad diets portion control eating is not restrictive – it’s a way of life, so there is a place for the inclusion of limited amounts of either natural or artificial sweeteners.

The jury is still out about the value or not of sweeteners in weight loss programs. However, they can be a useful strategy for reducing the amount of sugar in your diet, which does lead to better weight control. The important thing to understand is that the use of real sugar in your diet is not necessarily a bad thing when you practice portion control – unless you are diabetic or have some other illness that prohibits the consumption of sugar.

Take care when you select artificially sweetened drinks as these often contain empty calories and can promote hunger rather than suppress it. There is some value in a limited portion of something sweet rather than continually depriving yourself of a delicious sweet treat or cup of carbonated soda. This generally leads to overeating later. The solution is found in an underlying principle of portion control! A small taste of something calorific is MUCH healthier than prolonged abstinence and then binging.

You can lose weight without abstaining from the foods you really enjoy. Smaller portions of food from every food group Combined with physical activity, is a winning combination! If you eat 100 more food calories a day than you burn, you’ll gain about 1 pound in a month. That’s about 10 pounds in a year. If you reduce the same number of calories seamlessly by managing the size of your food portions through portion control and gradually increase your physical activity you WILL lose those extra pounds and keep them off. All without the agony of abstinence from entire food groups.

Take a look at what Connie Diekman, Director of Nutrition at Washington University, St Louis has to say about how to get healthy and stay healthy using portion control.

Warm Regards

Rowena French

For The Team @MightyDigitalDownloads.com

Rowena French uses responsible portion control to successfully manage her own weight and her family’s health. Tired of dieting without success? Sign up to my free magazine to learn more about how to use portion control for healthy, permanent weight loss. If you haven’t already subscribed to my free product sample, watch my preview video for more information about the whole portion control package.

My wife I are currently in Las Vegas and we are stunned by the constant news of how the financial crisis is flattening the Las Vegas economy, causing huge job loss, and creating enormous anxiety and workplace stress for local people. It is hard to imagine the extent of this downturn when we think of Las Vegas, gambling city of the world, playground for the rich and famous, a modern-day engineering marvel in the Nevada desert. Yet this amazingly wealthy city is suffering in the current financial crisis. The local newspaper reports event cancellations, revenue shortfalls, and widespread job sackings. It seems that even this famous city is not resistant to economic pressures and thousands of locals are experiencing workplace stress as a phenomenal level.

Yesterday we caught a taxi to one of the famous factory outlets and the taxi driver, a 23 year local, said he had never seen anything as bad economically in Las Vegas before. On the famous Strip, 40,000 jobs have been lost. These are, of course, service industry jobs. Waitresses, bus boys, door attendants, dealers, and all the support personnel are losing their jobs. Many of these jobs rely on tips from satisfied customers but when money is tight, tips are small.

President Obama made reference recently to the fat cat conventions being held by members of the finance industry in Las Vegas. Fear of losing the stimulus package caused many of these finance executives to cancel events in Las Vegas. The latest figures show that cancellation of conventions and business meetings has meant 111,800 fewer guests and 236,700 room nights fewer than expected. Of course, when people are in Vegas they gamble and the estimated reduction in gambling revenue for this current period is $131.6 million. This does not include, for example, spending on wine and food, shopping and tourist travel. The impact on the local economy is devastating and this downturn is causing enormous anxiety and stress at all levels of employment in Las Vegas.

For some months now there has been news of home foreclosures by the hundreds if not thousands in Las Vegas. These foreclosures have spawned a new business: a bus service that takes people from foreclosed house to foreclosed house either for gratuitous viewing or for potential purchase. What a sad time we live in.

All of these factors leave thousands of people in Las Vegas as victims of workplace stress, anxiety, fear, and depression. Even if people do not lose their jobs immediately, there is an ever present threat of job losses that makes them feel insecure, worried, and fearful. This kind of personal stress and workplace stress can be extremely disabling. It is very hard to be confident and stress free when in this city of extravagant riches there is so much uncertainty, job instability, and financial uncertainty. When we see reports that gambling revenues have declined for the 13th straight month we can imagine that people have become nervous about their jobs and their workplace stress levels have increased dramatically. Let's hope we soon see a turnaround in the economy.

Warm regards

Dr Jeff

For the team at Mighty Digital Downloads 

If you are a dad reading this blog, how does this sound? Your wife says to you one day “Honey, I think I would like to work and you can stay home and look after the kids. How does that sound?”  Your first thought was – “What a great idea.  It would be a snack to get the kids organized, too little bit of laundry, organize the shopping. I could use my project management skills from work and get this done in probably an hour a day. Then I would have the rest the day after I got the kids to school to have a workout, play tennis, perhaps join the boys for a drink at lunch time. And I wouldn't have to get dressed and go to work everyday. What a dream!”

Some of you might've watched a very young Michael Keaton play a stay at home dad in the movie Mr. Mom. I saw this movie again recently and recalled my earlier jokes to my wife (we had four young kids then) that I would be happy to stay at home. What would the reality be as good as the dream? What are the stresses that attend what is often seen as a role reversal – dad stays home and mom goes to the office?

Well guess what? In the US we have a situation where the work force is just on 50:50. In the last year or so, of the total number of those terrifying ‘you’re fired’ pink slips being handed out, 80% have been to men. We now have an enormous social transition with many men staying home, Stay At Home Dads (SAHD) to be good dads and good ‘wives’. But what of the marital stress in this new arrangement?

Well here’s the good news, in my view. Many younger men actually enjoy lots of the things they can do at home. My sons love to cook. I have friends who cook meals more often than their wives. Most of my male friends and family do not see cooking as a ‘female thing’. They also play their part in household chores. What man could ever admit that he couldn’t work a washing machine? How many men think that washing up is a woman’s work? If they do, they are probably lazy and self-centered in other parts of their marital relationship. And many men love spending time with their children. While there is a strong maternal drive in women, for many men there is an equal and powerful paternal drive.

So my first instinct is that if the man has a healthy self-image, if he is relaxed and confident in his masculinity, if he believes that a marriage is about sharing, giving, loving, and contributing in equal amounts, if his identity is not determined by his work role and setting, then he will transition to a stay at home dad very easily.

Of course, if we invert all these conditions, we will find men who cannot endure being a stay at home dad. Here is where the troubles will start; here is where marital stress will charge through the front door of the house. If the husband sees his role as ‘provider’ and if his self-perception is framed by this view, he may feel disenfranchised and (emotionally if not physically) impotent. He may have excessive concerns about what his male friends think. Will they see him as ‘the little woman?’ Will they still hang out?  Will his personal moods become more feminine? Will he be able to cope with earning less or no money, being more emotional, talking about things like diapers instead of hunting and so on. Will he be frightened that his sex life will be disrupted by the ‘boss’ coming home from the office either too tired to be interested or too dominating to meet his needs? Those men who adopt a ‘macho’ view of maleness have increased depression, anxiety, substance problems, and marital stress and breakdown AND they rarely seek professional help.

While there is very little research in the area, what is emerging is that for many men the opportunity to stay at home, be a great dad, spend more time with the kids, engage in domestic routines is liberating and enriching. A recent national survey (University of Texas at Austin, 2008) paints a different picture. Psychological well-being and partnership satisfaction increased for the stay at home dads. Closer relationships with their children, adopting a nurturing role, reconceptualizing the traditional ‘male role’ (stiff upper lip, show no emotions, be the provider etc), but they still follow ‘male’ pursuits such as fishing, hunting, talking about sport, messing with their cars and so on.

There can be issues around financial stability, of course, but these occur whenever there is only one partner earning income. In some cases, highly paid men have been sacked and their wives may well be earning significantly less than their formerly employed husbands. This will create marital stress. The upside though is that children are not put into expensive day care. Parents are happier knowing that their kids are with their primary caretaker – their dad. For many couples this feeling of security and satisfaction is infinitely more important than having a new car and a 5,000 square foot home with no mortgage. 

If you want to see how some men cope with being a stay at home dad, go to this great website: www.athomedad.org . I read the humor page which is very funny. One article begins like this: “You're sitting all alone in your house watching your newborn baby. You haven't had an intelligent conversation in months. Your only stimulant has been a cup of coffee and the smell of Pledge. You find you keep speed-dialing your wife at work even though you still have nothing to say to her.” But then the practical advice and the comments from other SAHD are wonderful.

 So, there does not have to be marital stress for a SAHD and his partner. There does not have to be depression or substance abuse. There does not have to be feelings of anxiety, despair, and loss of masculinity. For those SAHD who feel very comfortable with their choices, rather than personal stress or marital stress, there is much greater likelihood of deep contentment and joy in this growing role for men.

 Best wishes

Dr Jeff for the team

Dr Jeff, a psychologist, writes about workplace stress, personal stress, interpersonal stress, and how to manage stress. On his blog,http://www.drjeffbailey.com, he answers questions from readers. He works hard to make his articles practical and helpful and all of his articles are based on sound research evidence and extensive clinical experience. Please go to his Dr Jeff blog to get your free report on stress.