Everything you think you know is wrong!!

Just saw this on yahoo and would like to share it with you guys... =)

If deep breaths, weekly yoga classes, and venting to your friends aren't helping you relax, you have plenty of company—and it's not your fault. New studies show that these supposedly tried-and-true anxiety busters are often just... well, a bust. Read on for the surprising truth about what really helps—and what doesn't—when it comes to relieving chronically fried nerves.

Yesterday's Wisdom
Never go to bed angry

Today's Smart Strategy
Just get some sleep already!

When you're mid-dustup and about to wring your husband's neck, the last thing you feel like doing is curling up in bed beside him. But deep down, many of us worry that going to bed angry just tempts fate. So we bargain, cajole, and then fight some more in an effort to resolve the dispute, thinking all will be well by the morning if we can just reach a resolution. The fact is, forcing a discussion by bedtime can actually make things worse, says Andrea K. Wittenborn, PhD, an assistant professor in the marriage and family therapy program at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. When you're upset, a part of the brain called the amygdala cues the fight-or-f light response, limiting your ability to have a calm, rational discussion. So it's a good idea to hold off on any showdown until you cool off. "Taking a time-out or even a night off is critical, because once you've activated the fight-or-flight system, you can't simply tell it to turn off," says Ronald Potter-Efron, PhD, author of Rage: A Step-by-Step Guide to Overcoming Explosive Anger. "If you're already angry or frustrated, you become emotionally flooded and unable to think clearly." Plus, sleep is a powerful antidote to stress, says Russell Rosenberg, PhD, director of the Atlanta Sleep Medicine Clinic and vice chairman of the National Sleep Foundation. Instead, agree to call a truce until morning, and make sure to actually talk things out the next day. "Completely dropping issues that really bug you can be damaging to your relationship and contribute to increased stress," warns Dr. Wittenborn.

5 Solutions to help you thrive while under pressure.

Yesterday's Wisdom
Control your temper

Today's Smart Strategy
Throw a tantrum now and then

From the time we're little girls, we're taught to control our tempers, and as adults—especially women—we still believe that venting anger is unhealthy (not to mention unladylike). In fact, the opposite now appears to be true. According to a study published in Biological Psychiatry that looked at the effect of facial expressions of emotions, such as fear and indignation, on our stress responses, displaying your anger may actually cause your brain to release less cortisol, the stress hormone associated with obesity, bone loss, and heart disease. And while experts know that chronic anger contributes to hypertension and coronary disease, they've also found that expressing irritation in response to a short-term and unfair frustration, such as being cut off in traffic, can actually dampen the nasty effects of stress. That's because anger confers feelings of control, counteracting the helplessness and frustration we often feel in response to perceived insults and injustices, says lead study author Jennifer Lerner, PhD.

The 10 secrets of happy women.

Yesterday's Wisdom
Turn to family and friends for support

Today's Smart Strategy
Cuddle up with your pet

Hanging out with loved ones has long been touted as an instant mood-booster, but according to new scientific evidence, when it comes to managing stress, the calming effects of spending time with a furry friend trump those obtained by hanging out with friends and family. "Having your pet, whether a cat or a dog, with you during a stressful event turns out to be more soothing than a best friend or a spouse," says James J. Blascovich, PhD, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Dr. Blascovich and colleagues asked volunteers to perform difficult math problems while in the company of their spouse, a friend, or their pet. Using heart rate andblood pressure as measures of stress, the researchers found that people strained the least and performed the best when in the company of their cat or dog. While spending time with a friend or spouse can be a great way to relax, sidle up to your pet when the pressure's on.

Does your pet need pet friends too?

Yesterday's Wisdom
Express your feelings

Today's Smart Strategy
Keep it to yourself

In our tell-all, Oprah-fied culture, we've come to believe that sharing our feelings is the only way to deal with life's struggles. But just the opposite is often true. "We've long thought that talking about problems is always better, but there's also evidence suggesting that this coping style doesn't work for everybody," explains Karin Coifman, PhD, an assistant professor of clinical psychology at Kent State University. Dr. Coifman and colleagues looked at how people whose spouse or child had just died coped with their loss. They learned that many of the subjects who avoided thinking or talking about their sadness—a style psychologists call repressive coping—had fewer short-term health problems, such as sore throats, diarrhea, and shortness of breath, as well as a lower incidence of long-term psychological problems. What's more, they returned to their everyday lives more quickly than those who dwelled upon their grief.

"There's a lot to be said for getting on with the business of living," says Dr. Coifman. "People who talk endlessly about their problems are actually the ones at greater risk of depression." In fact, researchers at the University of Missouri, Columbia, found that participants who repeatedly expressed their sadness or disappointment were more likely to develop depression and anxiety. That doesn't mean you should just suck it up when something bad happens. While you shouldn't deny yourself natural grieving moments, learning to direct your attention away from the stressor is a powerful coping mechanism. So after experiencing that initial burst of tears, turn to something positive—check in on a friend or rearrange your furniture. It's an important skill to look beyond the bad—we wouldn't survive as a species otherwise, Dr. Coifman adds.

Yesterday's Wisdom
Never soothe yourself with food

Today's Smart Strategy
Treat yourself to chocolate

We've been warned that bingeing on cookies and ice cream is a poor way to ease a worried state of mind and can actually create more anxiety. But here's a sweet exception to the rule: Indulging in a little chocolate can actually help. According to new findings published in the Journal of Proteome Research, eating a few pieces of dark chocolate when you're feeling on edge can help calm your nerves. (Unfortunately for you milk chocolate lovers, the researchers believe the flavonoids in dark chocolate are responsible for this soothing effect.) In the study, stressed-out participants who ate 1 ½ ounces of dark chocolate a day for 2 weeks had reduced levels of stress hormones. We can't think of a better way to treat yourself to some dessert, guilt-and stress-free!

Yesterday's Wisdom
"Om" your way to calmness

Today's Smart Strategy
Do something you love

For some people, meditation is the secret to serenity, but for others, it's a fast track to frayed nerves. In fact, in a study published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 54% of participants reported feeling anxious while meditating! "There is no evidence that meditation 'cools off' the body's stress response better than any other type of stress reduction technique, so you have to find what works for you," insists Jonathan C. Smith, PhD, director of the Stress Institute at Roosevelt University. Anything that allows you to disengage from your thoughts can help you relax. One way meditation works is by breaking the chain of everyday thoughts, which are often tied to our to-do lists and other stressors, according to HerbBenson, MD, director emeritus of the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and author of Relaxation Revolution. While chanting a mantra certainly helps to quiet your mind, if meditating is not your thing, any repetitive activity that keeps your attention in the present moment, including jogging, swimming, painting, walking, knitting, or praying, will work just as well, he says.

DAMN!!!

Damn!!! Damn!!! Damn!!! I don't want to go back to KL to study.. Sob sob.. Am getting so damn lazy.. I still want holidays.. LOL.. Why time passes so damn fast?? I cant believed that 6 months had pass since I was admitted to hospital in March.. Although it had already been 6 months, the pain has not subsided yet.. So recently I went to a Chinese Doctor which was introduced by my dad's friend..

This Chinese Doctor is good.. And he is also curing my back too.. Some of you might not know this?? When I was in Standard 6, I felt from a chair when playing musical chair during my birthday.. My god, I had to suffer the pain for 9 years already.. So this Chinese Doctor from Beijing, but he worked in KL for 4 years, said that he will be able to cure my back too.. He used a different method.. Is not acupuncture, but another name of it.. "acupotomy" Is definitely not acupuncture, is a new method.. LOL.. He will press on the part which hurts and then he will mark the place.. After that, he will inject anesthetic on each mark.. I had 16 marks altogether from my back and hip, therefore he will inject 16 times of anesthetic. The needle is so big.. Arghhh.. Damn.. After that, he will use another big needle to move the nerves... IS SO DAMN PAINFUL!!! Although it HURTS, if it works, I would be very happy.. It will be like a miracle for me.. Can you imagined how long I had to suffer the pain?? Than for the pain and my breathing, it was connected from my back and also because of STRESSED!!! LOL... So people who is easily STRESSED like me, please be careful.. LOL...So I went to see him once on the 23/8/2007.. Damn!!! This coming monday, I had to see him again, and this time he had to do my neck for me too.. Am so not looking forward at all.. I wonder how much pain it going to be especially in the neck.. Sob sob.. Besides that, he gave me 10 packets of Chinese Medicine to eat for my lump... Yuck.. I hate it so much.. How can some people enjoy drinking it.. haha.. and 10 packets means I had to drink it 20 times.. But the medicine is working lah.. So I should be happy lah.. LOL..


Tuesday, Classes starting already.. I will only be taking 2 subjects next term.. But I still hate my timetable.. Hahaha.. I have classes every single day.. Damn it.. why can't they put it together so I don't need to go uni everyday.. waste petrol only.. LOL.. but compare to other terms, am happy with the timetable this time.. I cant wait to go back to meet all my friends, but am so damn lazy to do assignments and study for exams..

Isshh, I have to drive Waja to uni this 2 weeks or more.. Sob Sob.. This is because my car got into accident today.. DAMN!! I still like my own car.. But is ok.. I guess I should be OK with driving that car.. Is still a car anyways.. LOL.. is a matter of getting use to it.. I just hate driving big car to uni especially when you can't find parking.. LOL.. Thank god, most of my class is in the morning.. LOL.. But I have to wake up early.. ISSSHHH!!!


On the high note, I bought a few nice clothes and skirts this 2 days.. Mum took me to eat what i want to eat in Penang and also took me shopping before I go back to KL.. Haha.. Can you guys imagine?? Before I go back to KL, am already planning when I want to come back to Penang.. Am coming back to Penang 2 weeks time.. On the 15th of September after class.. YAY!!!!

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That's it for now.. Am very tired.. Have been shopping the whole day today.. LOL.. HAHA.. Oh ya!!! I went to CUT MY HAIR AGAIN!!! But is the same style like I had 2 months ago.. =).. 2 months and my hair grows so fast.. So decided to cut it short again before uni starts.. Muahahaha.. LOL

Good night everyone..