Going Over “The Cliff”?

When I first became aware of the phrase “Fiscal Cliff” about 3-4 months ago, it caused me, and I believe many others to be certain, a great deal of angst & trepidation. Some questions went through my mind: What will happen? Will people I know and love lose their jobs? Will the modest “Recovery” fizzle and are we heading into another recession? – i.e. the “Double Dip?” concept that financial experts have been forecasting for years?

Then, Friday December, 14th, 2012 news of the Newtown school tragedy quickly flooded the air waves of television and radio. The Newtown shooting is another recent example of sense-less acts – the slaughter of innocent lives that is truly callous and wrong. Logically, it makes sense that many may begin to question: are we really able to control much of anything? i.e. our spouses, kids, jobs, the behaviors of others, the economy, people killing others, etc.

Cardwell C. Nuckols, PhD recently wrote a book entitled: “The Ego-Less Self”. In his book Dr. Nuckols describes the mental battle which takes place for most every individual – striving to come to terms with the wants and needs of the “Ego”. He describes the differences in the left hemisphere and the right hemisphere of the brain. One key tenet I took away from his work is this: We need to work on living a more balanced life. People in North American society tend to over-extend themselves. Many of us have become dependent on our smartphones to schedule our lives now. What did we do before smartphones?

When we engage in left hemisphere activities, we are constantly anticipating, constantly waiting for something bad to happen, the ball to drop, etc. While there still is much debate about how the brain works, many psychologists would agree that analysis historically tends to occur in the left hemisphere of the brain. Deductive reasoning and restorative activities such as reading, yoga, mindfulness activities, prayer, meditation, exercise, painting, etc. have been labeled “right brain” activities.

Dr. Nuckols purports in his book that left brain activities tend to deplete us whereas right brain activities are restorative in nature.

Why should this matter to me?

Research has shown that when we engage in left brain activities, we are more likely to become stressed out, deplete our adrenaline stores, and if done to excess – can lead to crippling levels of stress and anxiety. If left untreated, high levels of anxiety can absolutely lead to paranoid thinking. On the other hand, right brain activities push us to be mindful. In other words, live more in the present, which tends to aide us in reducing our stress and in turn reduce our anxiety levels and increase our mental/emotional energy reserves.

What can I do to reduce my stress level?? You can call me for a free brief phone consultation: to learn more about tools, strategies and techniques to reclaim your emotional well-being and health. Thank you.

Call 952-443-3970 for a free brief consultation or to schedule an appt. today.