People with chronic illnesses are particularly susceptible to anxiety as they worry about their illness and whether they will ever recover.  The tremendous impact on their life styles also raises their anxiety level.  Prescribed drugs, behavioral therapies and psychotherapy are tools used to combat anxiety, but now there is research showing clearly that exercise, alone, can have a tremendous impact on this anxiety.

Three researchers from the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Georgia Ramsey Center assessed whether exercise training will help improve anxiety symptoms among such patients.  Two researchers independently studied 2914 patients.  They found that, compared with no treatment conditions, exercise training significantly reduced anxiety symptoms.

The largest anxiety improvements resulted from exercise programs lasting no more than 12 weeks, using session durations of at least 30 minutes and an anxiety report time frame greater than the past week. Their conclusion was that exercise training reduces anxiety symptoms among sedentary patients with chronic illnesses.

Armed with this information, exercise can also be used to prevent anxiety and everyone should have exercise built into their weekly regimens.

Call 1-800-497-9880 now for a FREE 20 minute phone consultation with Dr. Jack Singer.

Jack N. Singer, Ph.D.
Certified, Licensed Sport Psychologist
Diplomate, National Institute of Sports Professionals, Division of Psychologists
Diplomate, American Academy of Behavioral Medicine
Certified Hypnotherapist, American Academy of Clinical Hypnosis

Insomnia can be a miserable ailment and can exacerbate other illnesses and make chronic pain worse. Insomnia can be caused by a multitude of issues from increased stress, obesity, pain, medications, caffeine, nicotine, depression, unresolved anxiety, a change in work hours or shifts, marital and family strife or discord, sleep apnea. or even a spouse or partner who keeps you awake with their snoring.

Not  getting enough proper sleep can affect us physically, mentally and emotionally. It can also contribute to high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes.

How much sleep you require depends on your age. Children typically need more sleep than adults and seniors often sleep fewer hours at night, but may take catnaps during the day. The key to determining how much sleep you need is to poll yourself each morning to see how rested you feel. If you are groggy and unable to feel alert until later in the morning, you very likely need more quality sleep.

Consider keeping a sleep diary, much as you would a diet diary if you are in the process of losing weight. Head on over to the dollar store and purchase a composition notebook or a small notepad and place it on the table by your bed. By daily recording what time you go to bed, how long it takes for you to fall asleep, how many times you awaken during the night and the duration of these wakeful periods you will be more able to determine how much sleep you are actually getting. Be sure to note in your diary each morning how  rested, or not rested you feel. This will be helpful information for your physician.

Additionally, it will be helpful for you to note in your sleep diary if you are worried about something when you find that you can’t sleep. By tracking what you are worried about you can determine what treatment may be appropriate for you. People who go to bed worrying about the events of the day or what they anticipate to be unresolved issues they will have to face tomorrow, suffer from early morning awakening (usually around 2 or 3 AM). The treatment here requires understanding your internal dialogue and correcting it.

By developing a regular bedtime routine, you may find yourself well on the way to curing what ails you. It is important to establish routine whereby you go to bed at the same time each evening and awaken at the same time each morning. And yes, this goes for weekends and days off as well. Sorry about that!

Taking a hot or warm bath before bedtime and drinking a warm decaffeinated drink may also be helpful. As your body cools, it automatically becomes sleepy.   Getting plenty of exercise also helps sleeping habits because it removes clutter and stress from the mind.

If you have a television in your bedroom, turn it off or remove it altogether. Your bedroom should be a place for sleep and your mind needs to recognize that when you enter your bedroom that you are preparing for sleep.

Call 1-800-497-9880 now for a FREE 20 minute phone consultation with Dr. Jack Singer.

I am available for phone consultations with athletes around the U.S. and in-person visits with athletes in Southern California.

Jack N. Singer, Ph.D.
Certified, Licensed Sport Psychologist
Diplomate, National Institute of Sports Professionals, Division of Psychologists
Diplomate, American Academy of Behavioral Medicine
Certified Hypnotherapist, American Academy of Clinical Hypnosis

By Jack Singer, Ph.D.

Matt is a sales manager with a computer software company. His sales people have the responsibilities of generating new business by making “cold calls” and following up on leads from potential customers who respond to inquiries that his company receives. Besides making sure that his sales people can answer any questions about their products, Matt has also trained them in the traditional practices of how to communicate with potential customers, how to get them to realize how his company’s products will make their jobs simpler and more efficient, and how to close a deal. But Matt is befuddled at the poor sales success rates of his people. Are there other training techniques that can dramatically improve their performance?

Yes! Traditional sales training techniques ignore the biggest obstacle to sales success: Not recognizing and taking control of the Internal Critic that lingers within every sales person, and every athlete. The internal critic is basically a habitual pattern of negative thoughts that people allow to continue unabated until they recognize that they are engaging in such thinking. Using techniques that professional Sport Psychologists use to help elite athletes overcome their obstacle to success works the same wonders on sales people.

Here are a few tips that you can use with your sales people immediately:

Teach them to understand the warning signs of their “Internal Critic” at work.

Self-talk will either make you successful or will lead to disappointment. So often, people unconsciously use self-limiting thoughts which prevent them from being successful. Examples of negative, pessimistic self-talk phrases, are: “What if…,” “I hope I don’t…” I should have said…” “The client won’t like me if…” ,“I always have problems with…”I probably won’t be able to close this sale,” or “I can’t believe how stupid I was to say that…”

Negative, pessimistic messages that people allow to pass through their minds immediately lead to muscle tightening throughout the body. This tightening is accompanied by more rapid breathing and often perspiring. Consequently, these physiological responses are perceived as “stress” and you can read that all over the face and body language of the sales person (or athlete, for example). Sales people can practice catching themselves when these types of negative thoughts go through their minds and they can make a fist (out of view of the prospective customer), which is a reminder to STOP thinking that way and to take a few relaxing breaths, release the fist, relax and proceed to think positively and optimistically.

There is an old saying that “What you believe, you can achieve.” Internal self-talk leads to beliefs (either positive or negative) and beliefs lead to the body’s reactions. Sales people need to believe in their products and in their ability to show the customer why she/he needs to purchase that product today. Once sales people believe in themselves and their products, they are in a much better position to achieve sales success.

Suggest that they give themselves positive affirmations each day.

Positive affirmations are positive, optimistic thoughts about your sales success as if it is happening today, right now. Since our subconscious mind doesn’t know the difference between something real or imagined (for example, visualize yourself biting into a tart lemon and see what your mind tells your salivary glands to do), when you give yourself positive affirmations and imagine they these things are happening right now, your subconscious mind wants to make them happen for you. Here are examples of positive affirmations for sales people: “I know my products and I will show my customers how these products are perfect for their situation,” I know how to treat people so they will be open to my suggestions,” My self-confidence as a sales person grows each day,” I see myself breaking my sales records each month.”

Make a list of at least 10 positive affirmations to say each morning upon arising and each evening when retiring. Say each one 10 times in the morning and 10 times in the evening, breathing slowly and visualizing the each affirmation happening now.

Encourage them to visualize sales success before approaching the potential customer.

Your subconscious minds take orders from you without judging success or failure. As noted above, internal dialogue and beliefs are one means of directing your subconscious mind. Another powerful technique for directing the subconscious mind is actually visualizing success. Professional golfers, for example, who visualize each shot before they make it find a tremendous similarity between their vision of that shot and the subsequent shot that they make.

Tell your people to visualize themselves preparing for the sales call, gathering their materials, feeling really encouraged because they know their products and feel confident as they enter the room where the pitch will take place. Visualize the sights and sounds around you as you begin the perfect sales presentation. They then see the customer smiling and nodding in agreement as they show him/her how much this product will help them.

Finally, visualize themselves shaking hands with the client, closing the deal and writing up the order.

Show them the power of goal setting.

People are eleven times more likely to reach a goal when they write it down, as opposed to simply thinking about the goal. Have your sales people write down short and long-term goals that are specific and action-oriented. For example, “For this month, I will sell at least 27 widgets.” Make sure the goals are realistic.

Next, have them visualize themselves feeling wonderful once they accomplish that goal.

Have them imagine it as if they have already accomplished the goal. Finally, have them write down ways in which they can sabotage themselves so that they won’t accomplish that goal. This is a critical way of recognizing ways they perhaps didn’t realize they were undermining their success and how they will now stop that behavior. Using these tips will help your sales people look at the internal barriers to their success and how to release their true talent. In short, becoming an Inner Winner leads to success every time!

About the Author:

Jack Singer is a professional speaker, trainer and psychologist. Dr. Singer has been speaking for and training Fortune 1000 companies, associations, CEO’s and elite athletes for 34 years. He is a frequent guest on CNN, MSNBC, FOX SPORTS and countless radio talk shows across the U.S. and Canada. He is the author of “The Teacher’s Ultimate Stress Mastery Guide,” and several series of hypnotic audio programs, some specifically for athletes and some for anyone wanting to raise their self-confidence and esteem. To learn more about Dr. Singer’s speaking and consulting services, please visit Dr. Jack Singer.com or call (800) 497-9880.

I have been invited to conduct a training class at a speaking platform like no other and wanted to invite you to listen tonight.

You can participate in as many classes as you wish from the comfort of your home and convenience of your telephone or computer at no cost.

At this platform you will be trained, motivated and inspired by some of the most respected speakers in the Health, Personal Development and Sales & Marketing Industries.

Please join me tonight at 7 pm PST / 8 pm MST / 9 pm CST / 10 pm EST.

Tuition: No Cost.  Sign Up Now!

Teleclass Description:

So many people are overwhelmed these days with the stressors of job insecurity, economic disasters, the housing market collapse, the threat of world terrorism knocking on our doorsteps, and even the potential impact of global warming. Yet, despite these terrific challenges, some people continue to thrive, relaxed, optimistic and healthy. Are these people just blessed genetically or have they learned how to be resilient, despite the inevitable challenges they face daily? The answer is that they have learned the skills necessary to cover themselves with psychological Teflon and buffer themselves from these stressors.

In this class you will learn how to recognize the exact causes of your stress, how to empower yourself to overcome those stresses and build resiliency skills that can last you a lifetime. The end result is that you will bring life to your years and add years to your life.

Tuition: No Cost.  Sign Up Now!

Call 1-800-497-9880 now for a FREE 20 minute phone consultation with Dr. Jack Singer.

Jack N. Singer, Ph.D.
Certified, Licensed Sport Psychologist
Diplomate, National Institute of Sports Professionals, Division of Psychologists
Diplomate, American Academy of Behavioral Medicine
Certified Hypnotherapist, American Academy of Clinical Hypnosis

The anxiety that often accompanies a chronic illness can significantly interfere with the healing process and adherence to the treatment plan. But regular exercise can significantly reduce symptoms of anxiety, a new University of Georgia study shows. 

Exercise sessions greater than 30 minutes were better at reducing anxiety than sessions of less than 30 minutes, the researchers found. But surprisingly, programs with a duration of between three and twelve weeks appear to be more effective at reducing anxiety than those lasting more than 12 weeks. The researchers noted that study participants were less likely to stick with the longer exercise programs, which suggests that better participation rates result in greater reductions in anxiety. 

“Our findings add to the growing body of evidence that physical activities such as walking or weight lifting may turn out to be the best medicine that physicians can prescribe to help their patients feel less anxious,” said lead author Matthew Herring, a doctoral student in the department of kinesiology, part of the UGA College of Education. 

As reported in Science Daily, “The patients in the studies suffered from a variety of conditions, including heart disease, multiple sclerosis, cancer and chronic pain from arthritis. In 90 percent of the studies examined, the patients randomly assigned to exercise had fewer anxiety symptoms, such as feelings of worry, apprehension and nervousness, than the control group. “We found that exercise seems to work with just about everybody under most situations,” said study co-author Pat O’Connor, professor and co-director of the UGA Exercise Psychology Laboratory. “Exercise even helps people who are not very anxious to begin with become more calm.” 

You can see the tremendous value of exercise goes well beyond body image and weight management.  By reducing anxiety and depression, exercise goes a long way toward healing the body.  Healing starts with the mind and exercise enables the mind to perform its magic for the body!

Jack N. Singer, Ph.D.
Certified, Licensed Sport Psychologist
Diplomate, National Institute of Sports Professionals, Division of Psychologists
Diplomate, American Academy of Behavioral Medicine
Certified Hypnotherapist, American Academy of Clinical Hypnosis

Call 1-800-497-9880 now for a FREE 20 minute phone consultation with Dr. Jack Singer.

**You have permission to reprint in your publication or to your website/blog any articles by Dr. Jack Singer found on this Website as long as Dr. Jack Singer’s name and contact information is included. Jack Singer, Ph.D., Licensed Clinical Sport Psychologist, Marriage, Family & Relationship Therapist, Professional Motivational Speaker. http://drjacksinger.com, toll free 800-497-9880.

A new book loaded with research, strategies, tips and examples helps teachers build resiliency to stress, avoid burnout and regain teaching effectiveness.

 When a summer break becomes just a memory and the back-to-school excitement wears off, frequently what’s left are long hours, loads of homework, after-school activities, large class sizes, testing requirements, and relentless pressure from parents and school officials. These are just some of the stress-inducing daily challenges faced by teachers.

While teaching is widely recognized as one of the most stressful occupations, there are very few resources teachers can use to learn job-specific stress management techniques. Many magazines devote their back-to-school issues to providing advice to parents and students on how to deal with school stress, yet few even mention teachers’ stress. Online, only one out of ten articles on stress relief in school is aimed at teachers. And the ones that are typically provide only generic advice.

That is why Dr. Jack Singer’s release of a new book “The Teacher’s ULTIMATE Stress Mastery Guide” is both timely and much-needed. This stress mastery guide is directed specifically for the challenges that teachers face in and out of school. It shows teachers the exact tools to use in proactively building their resiliency to stress and burnout. The book includes action plans for mastering the different types of stress, success stories from teachers, and strategies based on cognitive and resilience theory.

Beth Madison, the Principal at George Middle School in Portland, OR advises teachers to read this book. “Your stress is not going away. [This book] might not just be a life changer, but a life saver”.

Many teachers quit after less than 5 years on the job because of, among other reasons, mounting stress levels. Dr. Singer’s new book helps these frustrated teachers to boost psychological immunity as well as increase teaching effectiveness. It also helps school administrators trying to support and retain their teachers.

Dr. Singer’s “Teacher’s ULTIMATE Stress Master Guide” is published by Corwin Press jointly with the Ontario Principals’ Council and is available at Amazon.com or http://drjacksinger.com

About Dr. Jack Singer

Dr. Jack Singer is a licensed Clinical, Sports and Industrial/Organizational Psychologist, author, trainer and consultant and one of the North America’s top motivational speakers. Dr. Singer is regularly contacted by CNN, MSNBC, Fox and other networks and radio shows for his expertise. Dr. Singer has been in private practice for over 30 years, working with a diverse range of clients from top athletes to families to Fortune 1000 companies. Dr. Singer’s teaching career includes teaching in the Psychology departments of seven universities, including four years as an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the U.S. Air Force Academy. Dr. Singer’s research and self-help articles appear regularly in business, medical, human resources and sports journals across the United States. For information about Dr. Jack Singer, please visit http://drjacksinger.com.

Stress in the workplace

According to a study, 40% of the American employees feel that their job is very stressful. As the issue of potential job loss, the economy and related factors causing stress is a persistent one, workplace stress needs to be dealt in a proper way. Otherwise there are chances of stress becoming a chronic problem.

Moreover stress at work impairs the job activities and also causes physical problems like head ache, back ache and later on heart problems. Extreme chronic stress can even cause death. The Japanese even have a term for it – Karoshi, which can be translated literally as “death from overwork”.  Work related stress results in decreased productivity, increased management problems and increased incidence of illnesses among employees.

Stress related problems are the most common causes of sickness absenteeism all over the world. In one study it was found that 13 million work days are lost every year in the UK due to stress and related problems. The other side of the problem involves the employers, who suffer production loss, earn bad reputations and are prone to litigations resulting in liabilities. The monetary cost of stress related problems runs up to 700 million pounds per year to the employers according to a study conducted in UK and about 150 billion dollars according to a study conducted in US.

Work Related Stress

The common causes of work place stress are

• Unreasonable demands for performance
• Lack of interpersonal communication between the employer and the employees
• Lack of interpersonal relationship among the employees
• The fear of losing one’s job.
• Long working hours
• Less time to spend with the family
• Under utilization of skills
• Underpaid jobs
• A promotion that did not materialize

In a survey conducted to find out the most stressful jobs the following were found to be in the top four professions which caused more stress.

• Nursing
• Teaching
• Managers
• Professionals

Unlike stress in general, the work related stress affects men and women equally. Older employees are affected more than their younger counterparts. Stress at workplace could be due to

• External cause like dangerous working condition or poor interpersonal relationship with the colleague.
• Internal causes like physical or psychological illnesses
• Acute cause
• Long term cause

But in the long run the stress becomes chronic problem causing serious health problems.

Stress Management at Workplace

If an employer finds that his staff is under stress, he should not ignore it. He should take steps to help them. If he finds it difficult to provide a solution for it, he should get the help of another capable person or qualified professional. If the employee is suffering from non-work related stress, it should still be addrssed as it may later lead on to work related stress. There is no single stress relief method. The stress management at workplace thus has to combine steps to eliminate the source of stress and provide relief for the short and long term effects by utilizing popular stress relievers.

For weekly tips on stress management from Dr. Jack Singer please click here.

Call 1-800-497-9880 now for a FREE 30 minute phone consultation with Dr. Jack Singer

**You have permission to reprint in your publication or to your website/blog any articles by Dr.Jack Singer found on this Website as long as Dr. Jack Singer’s name and contact information is included. Jack Singer, Ph.D., Licensed Clinical Pyschologist, Sport Psychologist, Marriage, Family & Relationship Therapist, Professional Motivational Speaker. http://drjacksinger.com, toll free 800-497-9880.

Table of contents for Stress Mastery Tips

1. Stress Mastery Tip #1 From Dr. Jack Singer
2. Stress Mastery Tip #2 From Dr. Jack Singer

I get so many calls from people suffering from stress that I wanted to share some stress mastery tips with you each week. Please bookmark this site and visit each week for the newest tip.

Stress Mastery Tip #2

Take care of your emotional health by taking care of your physical health.  Consider visiting a licensed Naturopathic Physician to learn about foods and natural supplements that have been proven to reduce and prevent stress.

The following  are examples of physical features which been shown to directly impact moods and stress levels:

• Keep your blood sugar low with frequent, smaller meals that include protein
• Eat light at night 
• Get ample sleep
• Avoid alcohol, caffeine and tobacco
• Load up on anti-oxidant foods and keep your weight within the normal range for your age and height.

The Teacher’s Ultimate Stress Mastery Guide by Dr. Jack Singer now available!

Paperback ISBN: 9781412970938 $33.95 Buy Now

Hardcover ISBN: 9781412970921 $72.95  Buy Now

Call 1-800-497-9880 now for a FREE 30 minute phone consultation with Dr. Jack Singer

**You have permission to reprint in your publication or to your website/blog any articles by Dr.Jack Singer found on this Website as long as Dr. Jack Singer’s name and contact information is included. Jack Singer, Ph.D., Licensed Clinical Pyschologist, Sport Psychologist, Marriage, Family & Relationship Therapist, Professional Motivational Speaker. http://drjacksinger.com, toll free 800-497-9880.

Table of contents for Stress Mastery Tips

1. Stress Mastery Tip #1 From Dr. Jack Singer
2. Stress Mastery Tip #2 From Dr. Jack Singer

I get so many calls from people suffering from stress that I wanted to share some stress mastery tips with you each week. Please bookmark this site and visit each week for the newest tip.

Stress Mastery Tip #1

Practice breathing through your diaphragm.  Put your hands on your stomach and breathe deeply so that your hands move out when you inhale and move back in when you exhale. 

If your hands are not moving and only your shoulders and chest move when you breathe deeply, you are engaging in shallow, less relaxing breathing. You can easily teach yourself to breath through your diaphragm with practice.

The Teacher’s Ultimate Stress Mastery Guide by Dr. Jack Singer now available!

Paperback ISBN: 9781412970938   $33.95   Buy Now

Hardcover ISBN: 9781412970921    $72.95   Buy Now

 
Call 1-800-497-9880 now for a FREE 30 minute phone consultation with Dr. Jack Singer

**You have permission to reprint in your publication or to your website/blog any articles by Dr.Jack Singer found on this Website as long as Dr. Jack Singer’s name and contact information is included. Jack Singer, Ph.D., Licensed Clinical Pyschologist, Sport Psychologist, Marriage, Family & Relationship Therapist, Professional Motivational Speaker. http://drjacksinger.com, toll free 800-497-9880.

“Burnout” has been defined as “a state of mental or physical exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress.”

Job burnout is an insidious problem in the American workforce, among all levels of employees.  Frequently undiagnosed, burnout may appear in job statistics of absenteeism statistics, in suicide rates, or in the development of chronic illnesses that keep employees from working.  Ultimately, working oneself to death can be the disguise for job burnout.

Job Conditions That Lead to Burnout

The following conditions have been found to lead to burnout.  Obviously, the more of these that a person has to deal with, the more the likelihood of burnout occurring:

• Heavy workload
• Long work hours and difficult deadlines
• Little participation in decision-making
• Poor communications within the organization
• Conflicting or uncertain expectations from supervisors
• Job insecurity
• Lack of recognition
• Poor advancement opportunities
• Minimal support from supervisors or co-workers
• Unpleasant or dangerous working environments or conditions 

Three Stages of Job Burnout

Now, all of the person’s defenses are worn to a frazzle.  She/he may be overwhelmed by feelings of hopelessness and/or helplessness.  A lack of motivation, fatigue, cynicism and even suicidal thoughts may be present, along with major physiological symptoms.  Frequent trips to medical specialists who run many tests and find nothing are common occurrences . 

Preventing Job Burnout

Of course, being examined my a mental health professional is a wonderful preventive technique.  But what steps can the employee take in order to avoid the symptoms of job burnout?

• Feel comfortable delegating responsibility at work
• Find outlets for frustration, like a brisk walk at noon, reading, listening to music, etc.
• Become assertive and be able to say “no” to excessive demands on your time
• Feel good about your accomplishments even if you don’t get recognized by supervisors
• Avoid excessive alcohol, prescription drugs, nicotine and caffeine
• Look everywhere for humor
• Remain optimistic in the face of frustration
• Learn to organize your time
• Take frequent breaks
• Practice good nutrition
• Get plenty of sleep
• Have a friend, spouse or colleague who is a good listener

Call 1-800-497-9880 now for a FREE phone consultation with Dr. Jack Singer.

**You have permission to reprint in your publication or to your website/blog any articles by Dr.Jack Singer found on this Website as long as Dr. Jack Singer’s name and contact information is included. Jack Singer, Ph.D., Licensed Clinical Pyschologist, Sport Psychologist, Marriage, Family & Relationship Therapist, Professional Motivational Speaker. http://dr.jacksinger.com, toll free 800-497-9880.