Archive for November, 2009

I eat to stuff my emotions. I eat because I am bored or depressed. Does anybody have any tips on how to stop this???

Get your mind off food. Go do something that doesn’t involve being near food, like going for a walk.

Chess is not necessarily a game reserved for people with IQ scores on par with Einstein. In fact, chess strategy may rely more heavily on spatial processing than on logic and computational skills. Researchers at the University of Minnesota at Minneapolis used functional magnetic resonance imaging to scan the brains of novice players during a match and found a flurry of activity in the parietal and occipital lobes, areas not associated with general intelligence.

"It’s not what we were expecting," says Sheng He, Ph.D., an assistant professor of psychology. The findings, published in Cognitive Brain Research, have implications beyond castling and checkmate. The activity observed in the parietal lobe suggests that this area may be capable of handling complex spatial functions, such as the interaction of memory and incoming spatial information.
"The parietal lobe may have more functions than we previously suspected," says He. And inactivity in another area — the left lateral frontal lobe — raises questions about the role of general intelligence in high-level cognition and problem solving.

Chess illustrates some of the common psychological errors that plague most casual players, apart from the inevitable tactical difficulties.

Why psychological instead of intellectual? Because many of these moves are not the product of any calculation or lack of experience. They are reflex moves that a psychologist would explain better than any Grandmaster. Can you recognize these types of moves in your own games? Don’t fall victim to your own fears! If your opponent beats you let it be on the board, not in your head.
1) Panic attack! When someone attacks your piece don’t just run away. Your opponent is just as capable of blundering as you are no matter what his rating is. Don’t forget about your own plans and DO THE MATH. Can you capture the attacking piece? Do you have an even more powerful threat yourself? Can you just let the piece be captured to your advantage? Too often players focus all their attention on their attacked piece and ignore the rest of the board.

2) Mutual blindness. Just because the other guys doesn’t see something doesn’t mean you have to ignore it too. This is related to perpetual blindness. Look at the entire board each move, you might find something new. Otherwise you will miss the same opportunity move after move. In today’s game both players are ignorant of the fact that White can win a bishop and they keep ignoring this for the entire game!

3) Pawnophobia. Aggressive pawn pushes against your king look very dangerous, and sometimes they are. On the other hand sometimes t
they are just massive weaknesses you can exploit. Look for chances to grab the initiative with your own pawn push or to lock the enemy pawns in place to use as targets later on. Don’t let your opponent bluff you into thinking his attack is inevitable.
Benjamin Franklin, in his article The Morals of Chess (1750), advocated such a view:

"The Game of Chess is not merely an idle amusement; several very valuable qualities of the mind, useful in the course of human life, are to be acquired and strengthened by it, so as to become habits ready on all occasions; for life is a kind of Chess, in which we have often points to gain, and competitors or adversaries to contend with, and in which there is a vast variety of good and ill events, that are, in some degree, the effect of prudence, or the want of it. By playing at Chess then, we may learn: 1st, Foresight, which looks a little into futurity, and considers the consequences that may attend an action … 2nd, Circumspection, which surveys the whole Chess-board, or scene of action: – the relation of the several Pieces, and their situations; … 3rd, Caution, not to make our moves too hastily…."
There are strong as well as weak points in the mentality of any chessplayer. Psychological studies have revealed that in the decision-making process the chessplayer employs primarily the good points – which consequently have to bear the greatest load. Thus the better side gets even more developed while the weaker side stays the same because there is no "payload" for it.

Geez, what a long "question." I taught the game to 3 kids, though I am not very good myself, and yes I can see examples of the studies findings in the way that they played. As they played more, there was less psycological error and more spatial awareness. Anyway, thanks for bringing the study to my attention.

I am referring to the "Natural Stress Relief" technique that was created and developed by former teachers of Transcendental Meditation. It is supposed to be comparable to, although not the same as, Transcendental Meditation. It is also much, much less expensive. I would like to know if the results of this form of meditation are really as good as the results that people have gotten from Transcendental Meditation. I would also like to know how difficult it is to learn this technique by yourself (because they do not have personal instructors near my area).

Heard of a type of Meditation by
Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn PhD called
Mindfulness Meditation. Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn
uses Mindfulness Meditation for people in his Stress Reduction Clinic in Mass. USA

If interested, below is a free book to effectively learn Mindfulness Meditation:

"Mindfulness In Plain English"
By: Ven. Henepola Gunaratana
http://www.budsas.org/ebud/mfneng/mind0.htm

- With Metta.

Stress is a natural physiological mechanism that drives us to get things done. Without stress, we would float about life aimlessly without any goals in mind. It is stress that makes us get up for work each and every morning and meet our obligations. We know that we have bills to pay, and that they won’t get paid without our help. Stress prompts us to take our children to the doctor when they are sick. Stress also helps us avoid collision during a near miss accident while driving.

All in all, stress is good, but it can sometimes take over our lives and do a great deal of harm to our mental and physical well being. Having too much of a workload, taking care of a sick family member, or just trying to keep up with the hectic pace of life can leave us feeling tense, aggravated, and dissatisfied with life. This is when stress becomes unhealthy.

While there is no such thing as a life free from stress, there are ways that you can reduce the amount of stress that you experience on a day-to-day basis. Here are just a few ideas to help you relieve that tension in your neck.

Exercise

Feelings of tension in the body are mostly due to a build-up of stress throughout the day and the stress chemical adrenaline. By exercising regularly, you can free your body of left over adrenaline and ease tense muscles. You will feel relaxed, energized, and ready to face another day.

Time For You

Sometimes all that is needed to relieve the tension from a hard, stressful day is to take a few minutes to unwind and do an activity that you enjoy. Too many of us live life like robots without taking any time out for the things that we enjoy. This just zaps the joy out of life and allows stress to build up and take over our bodies.

Say No

There is only so much that one human can accomplish in a day. Learn how to say no when your workload becomes too heavy. Delegate responsibility to other family members or coworkers.

Don’t Let It Worry You

While it is true that worrying is part and parcel with life, it really doesn’t serve much of a purpose. When was the last time that you solved a problem by simply worrying about it? Problems take action, and the sooner that you take action, the less that you will worry. Address problems as they occur, stay calm, and think of solutions rationally.

In addition to these tried and true stress reducers, try to eat as healthy as you can at all times and get plenty of sleep. The fact of the matter is that the healthier you are, the better you will be able to handle life’s daily mishaps without getting bent out of shape. This will reduce your stress and give you a sense of well being and contentment.

Kevin Sinclair
http://www.articlesbase.com/stress-management-articles/how-to-reduce-stress-in-your-life-123419.html

If you’re a tinnitus sufferer, you’re main question might be “where can I find natural relief for tinnitus?” The truth is that there are many options that can help you in your quest for natural tinnitus relief. Finding the one that works best for you is what you’re after.

I am saying you will be looking for a natural relief for tinnitus solution simply because that is your only real alternative. Conventional medications just don’t cut it at this stage when it comes to getting relief for tinnitus.

The American Tinnitus Association estimates that over 50 million Americans experience tinnitus while about 12 million experience tinnitus so severely that there only alternative is to seek medical attention. Sadly, the Tinnitus Association also estimates that approximately 2 million tinnitus sufferers are so severely affected that they are unable to function on a day to day basis.

If you do some research online you can find out the facts on how to best manage your tinnitus. Then apply some of that knowledge and try a few new and different methods that can help. No one solution will work for everyone so knowing how your body operates is a big plus. Your physician can help you with obtaining that kind of knowledge.

You must believe that you can obtain natural relief for tinnitus. Most people don’t and choose to live with a condition that can seriously and negatively affect their lifestyle.

Some people don’t even know they have the tinnitus.

What’s worse is that they choose to deal with their condition on their own instead of getting the proper help.

Consider this scenario. Even if you don’t have tinnitus, but someone in your household does, that’s almost the same as having it. You’ll also ride the wave of anxiety and stress with them as they struggle to deal with tinnitus.

In this case you must learn to support each other as you search for the right type of relief. Believe that together you can accomplish this task and encourage each other to not give up. There are some excellent natural relief for tinnitus treatments available.

Do you know that the American Tinnitus Association gives individual grants to tinnitus sufferers for things like travel to a special clinic if one is not in your area, for medical devices, evaluation and treatment? Patients need to apply for it and it is recommended that they already be under the care of a physician, but the grant is for $1500. That’s still worth seeking the opportunity!

The problem with most conventional treatments for tinnitus is that most doctors have a different opinion about which treatments work. It is only the natural relief for tinnitus solutions that are consistently proving any form of sustained tinnitus relief.

The types of natural relief for tinnitus treatments that are reportedly providing tinnitus sufferers with the best results are homeopathic relief for tinnitus remedies with also reporting good results with vitamin and herbal based solutions to provide the natural relief for tinnitus they are seeking.

Some other natural relief for tinnitus recommendations

Find local support group that can help you manage this condition? Try to stay in an environment where you can share with people who understand what you’re going through. Share tips on how to cope and try to form an alliance network of people that can to help you when you are feeling low and the tinnitus is getting on top of you.

Temporary relief from tinnitus is more than just finding a temporary cure to your situation. You will find that after your tinnitus relief starts happening you will feel that a personal victory has been achieved in overcoming this debilitating condition.

In conclusion, the correct natural relief for tinnitus is out there and is far preferable to the side effects and indifferent results obtained by using using conventional drugs rather than a natural relief for tinnitus remedy or treatment.

John Currie
http://www.articlesbase.com/medicine-articles/natural-relief-for-tinnitus-96773.html