Friday, December 4, 2009

Negative Impact for Being Unhappy

Negative Impact for Being Unhappy

Dr Leow Chee Seng

Senior consultant, Yale Consultancy Sdn Bnd

“Why should we feel sad? How many ten years do we have in our life?”

It is hard to define the term happiness. In general, happiness is a state of mind or feeling characterized by contentment, love, satisfaction, pleasure, or joy. A variety of philosophical, religious, psychological and biological approaches have striven to define happiness and identify its sources.

Philosophers and religious thinkers often define happiness in terms of living a good life, or flourishing, rather than simply as an emotion. Happiness in this older sense was used to translate the Greek Eudemonia, and is still used in virtue ethics.

While direct measurement of happiness presents challenges, tools such as The Oxford Happiness Questionnaire have been developed by researchers. Positive psychology researchers use theoretical models that include describing happiness as consisting of positive emotions and positive activities, or that describe three kinds of happiness: pleasure, engagement, and meaning.

Research has identified a number of attributes that correlate with happiness: relationships and social interaction, extraversion, marital status, employment, health, democratic freedom, optimism, religious involvement, income and proximity to other happy people.

In fact, the association between unhappiness and disease is not a new one. In fact, this relationship bas been held to be intuitively valid for ages. In the event of perceived sadness, organs that are inner­vated by neural tissue or acted upon by the excessive secretion of stress hormones increase their metabolic rates. When denied the ability to rest, organs may begin to dysfunction, much like a car engine that overheats on a very hot day. Several states of disease and illness first appear as stress-related symptoms which, if unde­tected or untreated, may result in serious health prob­lems. The following are descriptions of the more com­mon ones.

Bronchial asthma is an illness in which a pro­nounced secretion of bronchial fluids causes a swelling of the smooth-muscle tissue of the large air passage ways (bronchi). The constriction of these passages produces a choking effect, where the individual feels as if he or she cannot breathe. Asthmatic attacks can be severe enough to send someone to the hospital and, in some cases are even fatal. Several studies have linked the onset of asthmatic attacks with anxiety; others have linked it with an overprotective childhood. Currently drugs (e.g.. prednisone) are the first method of treatment. However, relaxation techniques, in­cluding mental imagery, autogenic training, and meditation, may be just as effective in both delay­ing the onset and reducing the severity of these attacks.

Tension headaches. Tension headaches are pro­duced by sympathetic-mediated contractions of muscles of the forehead, eyes, neck, and jaw. Ten­sion usually builds as the parasympathetic inhibi­tion of muscular contraction gives way to sympa­thetic drive, increasing the state of muscular contraction. Increased pain results from increased contraction of these muscles. Lower back pain can also result from the same process. Although pain relievers such as aspirin are the most common source of relief, tension headaches have also been shown to dissipate with the use of meditation, mental imagery, and biofeedback.

Migraine headaches. Unlike a tension headache, which is produced by nervous tension in the facial muscles, a migraine headache is a vascular head­ache. The word migraine literally means “half a skull,” and usually when a migraine occurs, the sensation of pain occupies either the right or left side of the head but not both. Migraines are thought to be the result of a sympathetic response to the baroreceptors of the carotid artery, which undergo a rapid constriction (prodrome) followed by a rapid dilation. During the dilation phase, blood quickly moves in from the periphery to flood the cerebral vasculature. The change in vas­cular pressure combined with humoral secretions is considered the cause of the intense pain so often associated with migraines. Symptoms can include a flash of light followed by intense throbbing, diz­ziness, and nausea. It is interesting to note that mi­graines do not occur in the midst of a stressor, but rather hours later. Migraines are thought to be re­lated to the inability to express anger and frustra­tion. Although several medications are prescribed for migraines, current research indicates that bio­feedback and mental imagery can be equally effec­tive, with fewer side effects.

Temporornandibular joint dysfunction. Excessive contraction of the jaw muscles can lead to a phe­nomenon called temporomandibular joint dys­function or TMJ. In many cases, people are unaware that they have this illness because it occurs during sleep. But when they make a trip to the dentist, they find that they are showing signs of clenching and grinding their teeth (bruxism). Other symptoms include muscle pain, clicking or popping sounds when chewing, as well as tension headaches and earaches. Like migraines, TMJ is often associated with the inability to express feel­ings of anger. However, there are other behaviors which are also associated with this symptom, in­cluding excessive gum chewing, resting one’s chin on a hand, even nail biting. Severe cases require that a mouth brace be worn at night. Relaxation techniques, including biofeedback and progressive muscular relaxation, have been shown to be effec­tive in decreasing the muscular tension associated with TMJ.

Irritable bowel syndrome. lBS is characterized by re­peated bouts of abdominal pain or tenderness, cramps, diarrhea, nausea, constipation, and exces­sive flatulence. It is often considered a result of ex­cessive sympathetic neural stimulation to one or more areas of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. While symptoms may vary from person to person, this stress—related disorder is most commonly associ­ated with anxiety and depression. One reason why lBS is considered so closely related to stress is that -the hypothalamus, which controls appetite regula­tion (hunger and satiety), is closely associated with emotional regulation as well. Various diets and medications may be prescribed, depending on the nature of the symptoms. Several recent studies have employed various types of relaxation and cognitive skills, including thermal biofeedback, progressive muscular relaxation, mental imagery, cognitive reappraisal, and behavioral modification

Our lives are filled with one blessing after another. Sometimes it’s easy to take them for granted. Here are some ways to be a thankful person and stay happily. First, Begin each day with a ‘gratitude moment.’ “Gratitude is born in hearts that take time to count up past mercies,” noted Charles Edward Jefferson. Every day when you first rise, make time to reflect on the blessings in your life and express thanks. Besides, Offer gratitude throughout the day. First thing, in your day, write down things you’re thankful for. Then throughout the day, think about those things. It will make you happy. On the other hand, express your appreciation. People are quick to call in with a complaint but not as many people take the time to express appreciation. Yet, a verbal or written expression of thanks delivers a blessing to the one receiving it as well as the one giving thanks.

To sum up, we should be happy every day. We would not be able to know when we will leave this die. Enjoy every moment in our life and appreciate everything next to us. Appreciation is one of the important elements in our life. We are living in a uncertainty and full of challenging world. We could not predict what would happen in our life every day. Do appreciate whoever next to you. Close your eyes for a few seconds. Try to feel whatever is next to you. You will feel that everything in this world is transforming. Try to appreciate others strength and not only looking in the weakness. You will be more appreciating if u follow it...... Individual in this society can be described as molecules in atmosphere. Some molecules are bonded with strong electrostatic bond but some are bonded with weak Van Der Waals forces. Perhaps you should close your eyes and feel what is next to you. Actually, you will find everything around is transforming. This can be explained by using triple point of phase diagram where solids, liquids and gases reach equilibrium. In short, happy to get know all of you may god wish our bond and relationship to be everlasting.

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