End Worry With This Powerful Technique

BERTRAND RUSSELL, the mathematician and philosopher, used a technique on himself to prevent worry, and he recommended it to others in his book, The Conquest of Happiness. "When some misfortune threatens," he wrote, "consider seriously and deliberately what is the very worst that could possibly happen. Having looked this possible misfortune in the face, give yourself sound reasons for thinking that after all it would be no such very terrible disaster."

Of course, most of us would say, "But it would be a terrible disaster!"

Bertrand Russell anticipated this remark. He goes on to say: "Such reasons always exist [reasons for thinking it might not be so bad], since at the worst nothing that happens to oneself has any cosmic importance. When you have looked for some time steadily at the worst possibility and have said to yourself with real conviction, 'Well, after all, that would not matter so very much,' you will find that your worry diminishes to a quite extraordinary extent."

I'd like to point out two things here. He said to look at the worst possibility "for some time." This is not a technique to do for ten seconds. Give it some time. If you really want to ease your worry, it will take a little time.

Also, he said when you can say to yourself it doesn't matter, and say it with real conviction, he does not mean pretending to say it with conviction. He means actually having looked at it enough to be able to legitimately say it really wouldn't matter that much.

He has a little more to say about the technique: "It may be necessary to repeat the process a few times, but in the end, if you have shirked nothing in facing the worst possible issue, you will find that your worry disappears altogether and is replaced by a kind of exhilaration."

This is an effective technique. It actually works, and surprisingly well. Dale Carnegie took the technique one step further and said, "Then try to improve on the worst," which I think most people would do anyway. But you can't skip to that part and expect this technique to work.

If you really do this exercise, you can really and truly cure yourself of a particular worry, and ease the strain on your system the worry has been causing. To learn more about this technique and how to use it, read: The End of the World.

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Raise Your Mood With Yoga

IN A RECENT post on Intelihealth by Michael Craig Miller, M.D., editor-in-chief of the Harvard Mental Health Letter (and an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School), he wrote about some recent studies on yoga. Here are some excerpts:

"But results from the growing number of randomized controlled trials, the most rigorous standard for proving effectiveness, suggest that yoga practices may be helpful for both anxiety and depression. In this respect, yoga is like other self-soothing techniques, such as meditation, relaxation, exercise, or even socializing with friends."

"It's not clear exactly how yoga works to improve mood, but preliminary evidence suggests its benefit is similar to that of exercise and relaxation techniques."

"[In one study] all of the participants had experienced emotional distress for at least half of the previous 90 days. Although they were not formally diagnosed with depression, they reported higher-than-average levels of stress, anxiety and depression. At the end of three months, women in the yoga group reported improvements in those three areas. They also had more energy. Depression scores improved by 50%, anxiety scores by 30%, and overall well-being scores by 65%. Complaints of headaches, back pain, and poor sleep quality also cleared up much more often in the yoga group than in the control group."

"One uncontrolled study from 2005 described the effects of a single yoga class for inpatients at a New Hampshire psychiatric hospital. The 113 participants included people with bipolar disorder, major depression and schizophrenia. Before the class, they answered a questionnaire. After the class, average levels of tension, anxiety, depression, anger, hostility and fatigue dropped significantly when they repeated the questionnaire. Patients who chose to participate in additional classes experienced similar short-term positive effects."

"Although many forms of yoga are safe, some are strenuous and may not be appropriate for everyone. In particular, elderly patients or those with mobility problems may want to check first with a clinician before choosing yoga as a treatment option."

"But for many patients dealing with depression, anxiety or stress, yoga may be a very appealing way to better manage symptoms. Indeed, the scientific study of yoga demonstrates that mental and physical health are not just closely allied, but are essentially equivalent. The evidence is growing that yoga practice is a relatively low-risk, high-benefit way to improve overall health."

Learning with a DVD is an excellent way to get started. Here are a few we recommend:

Yoga for Dummies

Yoga for Beginners

AM/PM Yoga for Beginners

Yoga Journal's: Beginning Yoga Step by Step

Yoga for Every Body

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Digital Detox Week

ALSO KNOWN as TV Turnoff Week, this annual event is aimed at helping people learn what life would be like without screens —particularly television. Read more about the event here.

TV Turnoff Week is being sponsored, supported, or promoted by many organizations, including The American Heart Association, Big Brothers and Sisters of America, the National Education Association, and the YMCA.

The event occurs twice a year, once in April, and once in September. This year (2010) it goes from September 19th until the 25th.

TurnOffYourTV.com gives a good answer the question about going a whole week. Couldn't we do it for just a day? "Turning off the television for seven full days helps participants realize that life without television is not torture and may actually be more fun. A multi-day TV 'fast' allows sufficient time for the development of habits likely to be more productive and rewarding."

Another question that comes up is what about "good" TV? Is all television bad? I like their answer: "All TV is passive, sedentary, and non-experiential."

Turning off the TV is a way to "encourage healthier lifestyles, stronger families and communities and improved reading skills," says the TV Turnoff Network. The movement has been motivated by statistics such as these.

So what do you think? Are you up for it? Let's turn off the screens for one whole week starting Sunday, September 19th.

Read more: How to Raise Your Mood With One Finger.

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Learn Right Now How To...

FROM THE DEEP well of the YouMeWorks.com website, here is a list of articles, categorized by what the article will give you. Which one would you like to learn? You can do something about it in the next few minutes. Learn right now how to...

...have a better attitude

...cure boredom at work

...improve your mood

...feel kinder toward others

...feel less frustration and anger toward others
...get more respect from others

...become emotionally stronger

...speed up your goal's achievement

...become less depressed

...worry less

...find your mission in life

...increase your chances of getting a promotion

...accomplish your goals quicker

...become more optimistic

...feel calmer and more serene

...make personal changes that last instead of backsliding

...motivate yourself

...prevent people from criticizing you

...improve your people skills

...improve your ability to accomplish a difficult task

...help your children feel good about themselves

...make more money at work

...get maximum rejuvenation from your leisure time

...feel good about yourself

...be less negative

...solve problems more quickly

...feel anger less often

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