Photo source:
1funny.com

These senior citizens lead the way. Click below for a light-hearted video:

http://blog.petflow.com/just-because-you-have-grandkids-doesnt-mean-you-cant-dance-go-grandma/

Photo source:
martinharrisonblog.co.uk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4EDhdAHrOg

Christmas can bring a strange mix of hope and frustration. Some of us hope for delightful gifts, others for exciting parties. You might call it a “Christmas Obligation” – to find great fun.

You must give the right gifts and get the right gifts. You must serve the right meal and entertain the right guests. To do any less is a failure to meet the Christmas obligation.

Television reminds viewers that even a self-serving Scrooge can be reconciled with estranged family members on Christmas day. All must be wonderful in the family – its part of the Christmas obligation.

Yet, for many of us it will not be this way. Some will long for the touch of a deceased loved one. Others will spend far too much time alone. Families will be dysfunctional in many creative and complicated ways. Few will experience the perfect Christmas holiday.

So, rather than restlessly looking for a “Wonderful Life” holiday, we might enjoy the time more if we lower our expectations and look for a Christmas that is simply “pretty good”: some fun, some solitude, some giving, and some receiving.

And then, at some point, find a quiet place to reflect on the one whose birthday we celebrate. Forget about Christmas obligations for a while. Rest and reflect on the God who gave the gift of light and life everlasting. As you allow the Prince of Peace to replace compelling notions of Christmas obligation, you will gather a taste of the joy of Christ and the meaning of Christmas.

To the list of “Things We Know To Be True, But Science Has Not Yet Proven“, we can add laughter as medicine. Scientists have found that laughter helps to relieve depression and anxiety, and may add years to your life. According to a recent study in Current Psychiatry, “Researchers found that the higher a person’s sense of humor score, the higher his (her) odds ratio of surviving 7 years.”

Neuroscientists don’t know where it comes from, but they are searching the brain for the biological roots of laughter. Brain scans hint at several possible sites. A case report, describing a 16 year-old girl undergoing brain surgery, reports how laughter was elicited by electrically stimulating her left frontal superior gyrus.

Most psychotherapists use a bit of laughter in counseling. Used carefully, it helps to relieve anxiety and improve concentration. As I talk with patients about stressful events, we sometimes find a that a heart-felt laugh takes the bite out of anxiety-provoking topics

Go ahead – laugh a little. The link below may get you started. A patient recommended it last week.

For a good laugh click on the image below:

For more scientific information see:
Nasr, Suhayl. No laughing matter: Laughter is good psychiatric medicine. Current Psychiatry, August 2013.

Most of us think about monks in a monastery when we hear the word contemplation.

Contemplation, in Christian spirituality, is a quiet and introspective state of mind that is focused on appreciating the presence of God. It might be thought of as a state of spiritual resonance, in which the spirit of God communes with your spirit. Your spirit resonates, as His spirit bathes you in his love. In a way that is hard to describe, contemplation is a period of oneness with God.

In this state of mind, all seems ‘right enough’ in the world. The significance of events, both good and bad, seem to melt away. Less worry in the mind and more contentment with the world are wonderful remedies for excessive worry.

Mystics since the middle ages have discussed contemplation. There seems to be no clear step-wise guide. It is rather emphasized that contemplation is more a gift from Him than a spiritual accomplishment. One of the most readable books on this topic is, Letters from the Desert (noted below).

These days, my favorite way to welcome God’s presence is to:
• Think about a few verses of scripture
• Read a bit from an inspirational book
• Listen to some Gregorian chants, while praying The Lord’s Prayer;
considering God’s presence during events of the day,
and waiting

Since I do not speak Latin, the chanting monks represent soulful sounds more than theological messages. This is my way, for today. It is not a formula for everyone.

I pray that you find your own way to contemplate the closeness of God and open your spirit to his presence. Find a quiet place. Pray and wait.

Carretto, Carlo. Letters from the Desert. Orbis Books, 2002.

It’s not new but few people know about the connection between high stress and brain cell injury.

Working too many hours, caring for young children all day and all night, or worrying too much about the finances can expose your brain to high levels of stress hormones and interfere with brain cell repair.

A growth hormone that specializes in brain cell repair can be impaired by too much stress. The growth hormone is called BDNF (brain derived neurotrophic growth hormone) or, as I prefer to call it, “brain fertilizer”.

BDNF circulates between brain cells, stimulating them to sprout tiny branches called dendrites. As many branches and leafs are signs of a healthy tree, many dendrites and spikes (little buds) are signs of a healthy brain cell. Brain fertilizer promotes branching and budding. Stress hormones block it.

For a more detailed description of how high stress can diminish brain cell fertilization, see my book: Breaking Through Depression (third chapter: “Hormone Havoc”).

In the mean time, if you are going through a period of high stress, follow some simple advice: “Just relax for awhile.” Take some walks. Make rest and sleep high priorities. By lowering your stress hormone levels, you make it easier for BDNF to promote branching and budding of your brain cells.

Hall, Donald. Breaking Through Depression. Harvest House Publishers, 2009.
 

Earlier this year, two mega-studies answered yes!

One study looked at twenty years of published research and concluded that “religious/spiritual involvement” was linked with mental health benefits in 72% of factors studied (1). Only 5% of the religious factors were associated with a negative mental health impact.

The other study looked at seven thousand people, examining the links between mental health, religion, and spirituality. Researchers found that those who identified themselves as spiritual but not religious were more likely to be dependent on drugs or suffer from anxiety disorder than those who reported a “religious framework”(2).

Back when I was a psychiatry resident, I had the pleasure of working with David Larson -a pioneer in the area of the scientific study of religion. He introduced me to his ‘systematic review’ method of analyzing multiple research studies at the same time, in order to reach a unified conclusion. Before long my employer (the Army) ended its support of my research interest (the Army needed psychiatrists – not scientists), but not before developing an appreciation for these mega-studies, technically referred to as meta-analyses.

In a similar fashion, Drs. Koenig and Bonelli analyzed twenty years of scientific research and concluded that religious involvement is good for your mental health (1). Others have used this method to demonstrate benefits to physical health as well.

These mega-studies offer clear findings that religious practice can be a very good thing. The benefits of individualized spirituality outside of a religious framework, however may not be so good. So look inside yourself and rekindle your prayer life as you look around your community for a healthy religious group to join. Nurturing your spirit will benefit your mind and body.

1. Journal of Religion and Health. June 2013. Bonelli & Koenig
2. British Journal of Psychiatry. January 2013. King & others