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July 29, 2020 by Felecytie Rosen-Hanson Leave a Comment

The Positive and Negative Effects of Caffeine on Your Body

According to Statista.com, coffee is still one of the most popular beverages among Americans of all ages. In fact, nearly half of young adults age 18-24 drink coffee. But by far, seniors are more likely to drink the delectable beverage and they tend to drink roughly three times as many cups as day as well!

Not only is coffee one of the most satisfying and beloved beverages around, but it also comes with a bit of controversy and mystery. There are those health experts that claim coffee is beneficial to your health and those that claim it is NOT beneficial to your health.

Of course, most of these claims have to do with the caffeine content in the coffee. So what is the truth about caffeine? Is it good or bad for us? Well, the answer is – it’s both!

Let’s take a deeper dive into the pros and cons of caffeine.

Caffeine Pros

It Makes Us More Alert

Let’s take a look at the most obvious benefit people experience from drinking coffee and that is it does help to give us a jolt of energy and make us feel more alert and awake. Caffeine has also been shown to improve response time and accuracy. So there really is something to people saying, “I can’t even think until I’ve had my first cup of coffee!”

It Puts Us in a Better Mood

Beyond making us more alert, caffeine can actually perk up our mood and flood us with positive feelings. Health experts believe this positive impact on our mood is what gets most people hooked on caffeinated drinks.

May Improve Memory

While more human studies are necessary, caffeine has been shown to improve long-term memory. In fact, worldwide studies have found that moderate caffeine consumption reduces the risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s. In Finland, where coffee consumption is higher than anywhere else in the world, people have the lowest risk of Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Caffeine Cons

Disruption of Normal Sleep Patterns

When we drink caffeinated beverages later in the day, they can interfere with us getting a good night’s sleep. This makes us feel sleepy the next day, which then makes us reach for more and more caffeine, and the vicious cycle continues.

Increased Production of Stress Hormones

Caffeine prompts our adrenal glands to produce more of the stress hormones norepinephrine, adrenaline, and cortisol. This is really bad because cortisol release contributes to both fatigue and insomnia.

On top of this, the increase of stress hormones in our bloodstream can cause us to have an exaggerated reaction to everyday stressful events. A traffic jam can send us reeling, as can our neighbor’s barking dog and a telemarketer calling at dinner.

Heart Health

Health researchers have found a link between the habitual use of caffeine and inflammation. Now when you combine this with caffeine’s tendency to raise blood pressure (thanks to those stress hormones!), you have an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

Of course, how caffeine will affect you will have much to do with your own genetic makeup and how much you drink. Your best option when it comes to caffeine consumption is to use moderation and to monitor how caffeine makes you feel and go from there!

 

SOURCES:

  • https://www.aarp.org/health/healthy-living/info-10-2013/coffee-for-health.html
  • https://www.womenshealthnetwork.com/fatigueandinsomnia/effectsofcaffeine.aspx
  • https://www.upmcmyhealthmatters.com/caffeine-effects/

Filed Under: Nutrition

July 22, 2020 by Felecytie Rosen-Hanson Leave a Comment

Stress Management Techniques for People of Color Dealing with Microaggressions

Most human beings don’t get through life without dealing with their fair share of stress. But some people seem to deal with more stress than others. For instance, according to a report by the American Psychological Association (APA), both low-income populations and racial minorities have a greater risk of developing mental and physical health issues as a result of stress. The APA report focused on the need for raising public awareness regarding the stress-inducing implications of persistent exposure to subtle biases and microaggressions.

In the meantime, what can these populations do to manage their stress so they experience better health outcomes? Here are some proven stress management techniques to cope with whatever life throws at you:

Reframe

Reframing is an exercise that allows us to see the whole picture. Often times, when we experience a negative situation, we become emotionally wrapped up in the negative. But life is complex, and often there is good to be seen along with the bad. The good may be how we handled a situation or how our friends and family gave us support and strength. When we reframe, we step away from our emotions to look at the situation fully and honestly.

Relax

Stress causes tension in the body, and this tension can result in chronic health issues such as high blood pressure and chronic inflammation. It’s important to learn healthy ways to bring about relaxation. You might try tools such as progressive muscle relaxation, deep breathing, guided imagery, and biofeedback for managing your stress.

Practice Mindfulness

Over two decades of research on mindfulness shows that it is highly effective in managing stress. Mindfulness meditation involves fully focusing your awareness on the present moment. Through this practice, you accept your thoughts and feelings without judging them. There are a variety of online resources to help you get started.

Move Your Body

When we are stressed, our body experiences the “fight or flight response.” This entails a number of stress hormones to be released into our bloodstream. These hormones make our hearts beat faster and direct blood flow away from our brains and core into our arms and legs so we can remove ourselves from the perceived danger.

But for many of us, the danger is not physical but mental and emotional. And so we don’t burn through these hormones and they linger in our bodies causing damage. For instance, one of the hormones released is cortisol, which if levels are left unchecked, can cause high blood pressure and damage to the brain.

Exercise is one of the best ways to burn through these “fight or flight” chemicals. In addition, exercise helps with the production of feel-good endorphins.

These are just some of the ways you can better manage the stress in your life so it doesn’t negatively impact your health. If at the end of the day, you need more help, I encourage you to reach out to a mental health therapist who can provide you with even more stress management tools.

 

SOURCES:

  • https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/what-matters-most/201701/10-new-strategies-stress-management
  • https://psychcentral.com/lib/5-ways-to-stress-less/
  • https://psychcentral.com/news/2018/01/09/higher-stress-among-minorities-low-income-populations-may-lead-to-health-disparities/131003.html

Filed Under: General

July 15, 2020 by Felecytie Rosen-Hanson Leave a Comment

How Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Can Help Us Better Understand the Black Lives Matter Movement

Most human beings have implicit biases. And that’s okay, as long as we are aware of them and aware of how our attitudes affect others.

In the United States, black people have lived through a long history of violence and social injustice. With the recent deaths of George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks, the Black Lives Matter movement has organized many protests around the nation, inspiring people from all walks of life to take a long hard look at themselves and their own beliefs.

To this end, cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT for short, can help us all better understand the Black Lives Matter movement and how we can help heal the divide among the races. The entire goal of CBT is to change a person’s thought patterns in order to change their responses to difficult situations.

CBT combines psychotherapy and behavioral therapy. Psychotherapy emphasizes the importance of the personal meaning each individual places on events and circumstances. Behavioral therapy looks at the relationship between our thoughts, our problems, and our subsequent behaviors. Most therapists who practice CBT personalize the therapy to the specific needs and personality of each client.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has been used for decades to treat adults, families, children, and adolescents. It has shown great success in treating depression, general anxiety disorder, PTSD, stress, anger issues, OCD, and marital difficulties. It has been so successful in treating myriad mental conditions precisely because it helps individuals reframe what they think about a particular belief or event. It is for this reason that I and other therapists have begun to use CBT to help people understand the BLM movement and how they can help it grow and make powerful changes.

Finding the Right CBT Therapist

If you are interested in exploring CBT treatment, it’s important to look for a licensed therapist with specialized training and experience. Beyond these credentials, it’s also important to look for an individual you feel comfortable with.

If you are interested in exploring CBT, please reach out to me. I would be happy to discuss how I may be able to help.

 

SOURCES:

  • https://psychcentral.com/lib/in-depth-cognitive-behavioral-therapy/
  • https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/cognitive-behavioral-therapy
  • https://www.greatbigstory.com/guides/how-to-become-a-better-black-lives-matter-ally

Filed Under: General

July 8, 2020 by Felecytie Rosen-Hanson Leave a Comment

5 Strategies to Calm Your Anxiety Quickly

When you live with an anxiety disorder, any moment can become one that creates a slow-rising panic within you. Life is normal one second and the next, you feel your chest tighten and your heart begin to race. You may begin to hyperfocus on future events and find yourself getting lost in “what-ifs.”

To make matters worse, you may then begin to berate yourself for allowing the panic to get the best of you and begin to believe that all of those what-ifs are indisputable facts.

Luckily there are many powerful tools and techniques you can use to manage your anxiety effectively.

Breathe Deeply

The minute you feel a panic attack coming on, the first thing to do is stop and gain control of your breath. Deep, slow breathing sends a signal to our brains that everything is safe in our environment. Controlled breathing is one of the most powerful ways to activate your body’s relaxation response. It will take your mind and body out of “fight or flight” mode and put it instantly into a calm and relaxed state.

Accept That You are Anxious

It’s important to always remember that anxiety is “just a feeling.” And like all feelings, it can go as quickly as it came. You are having an emotional reaction to a string of thoughts. Accept your anxiety because trying to pretend it’s not happening will only make matters worse.

Let’s be clear – by accepting your anxiety, you are not resigning yourself to a life of eternal misery. You are not throwing in the towel and trying to suddenly like your anxiety. Nope. You are simply living a more mindful existence, being in the moment, and accepting whatever is in that moment with you.

Your Emotions Cannot Kill You

One of the most frightening things about a panic attack is the feeling that you are having a heart attack. But you aren’t. Your brain can and will play tricks on you, trying to get you to believe that you are in physical danger. But the truth is, you are not in physical danger. You are having an episode based on emotions and it will pass. Remind yourself of that as many times as you need to.

Question Your Thoughts

When your panic attack begins, your mind begins to throw out all sorts of outlandish ideas at you, hoping some of them stick. These thoughts are intended to keep the panic attack going.

Before you take any of these thoughts as reality and truth, question them. For instance, if your mind throws things out like, “No one here likes me. I am for sure going to screw this up. I probably left the stove on. And I’ll no doubt get stuck in bad traffic on the way home and maybe even get a flat so I will then be stranded, and on and on and on…”

Questions these ideas. Are you TRULY not liked by everyone around you? Most likely not. Are you really going to screw up? Probably not. Traffic? Well, maybe but a flat tire? Chances are no.

Always question your thoughts. You will usually find the majority aren’t very realistic or probable.

Visualize

Picture somewhere serene that brings you peace and calm. Maybe this is your grandparents’ old house or a lake you’ve visited before. Maybe it’s that fantastic beachfront condo from your last vacation. Just picture it in your mind’s eye and really put yourself there. See it, smell it, feel it. Feel how calm it feels to be in this space that is perfectly comforting and safe.

Use these techniques the next time you experience an anxiety attack. They should help you feel much calmer much sooner.

If you would like to explore treatment options for your anxiety, please get in touch with me. I’d would be more than happy to discuss how I may be able to help.

 

SOURCES:

  • https://psychcentral.com/lib/9-ways-to-reduce-anxiety-right-here-right-now/
  • https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-empaths-survival-guide/201810/self-soothing-strategies-8-ways-calm-anxiety-and-stress
  • https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/prescriptions-life/201709/7-ways-calm-your-worried-mind-and-reduce-anxiety

 

Filed Under: Anxiety

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Felecytie (Fey)
Rosen-Hanson



(925) 325-4239
fey@feytherapy.com

3496 Buskirk Ave Suite 103
Pleasant Hill, CA 94523

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3496 Buskirk Ave Suite 103
Pleasant Hill, CA 94523

50 Sand Creek Suite 320
Brentwood, California 94513

(925) 325-4239
fey@feytherapy.com

2019 Felecytie (Fey) Rosen-Hanson, MA, LMFT #119674.


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