Archive | February, 2013

Tips: Test Anxiety

28 Feb

To reduce test-taking anxiety, study the material and then practice what you’ll be using on the test itself. Writing about the anxiety shortly before taking the test decreases the fear by facing and expressing it. Before and during the test, use relaxation techniques for calming. (Time, Relax, it’s only a test, 2013, 181, 5, 42-45)

Tips: ADHD

24 Feb

If your child has ADHD, consider that there are behavioral interventions at home and at school that can be helpful. Medication effects can be augmented by these interventions. (Monitor on Psychology, 2013, 44, 2).

Obesity Epidemic

23 Feb

Actually, The American Psychologist (2013, 68, 2) reports a pandemic. In the United States, over two thirds of adults are obese or overweight with the prevalence having doubled since 1980. Other countries are reporting similar upswings and trends are particularly alarming in children.

Teen Substance Abuse

20 Feb

The abuse of prescription drugs, often from the medicine cabinet, is second only to marijuana for adolescents.. (Monitor on Psychology, 2013, 44, 2, p. 18)

Tips to Maximize Focus and Memory

17 Feb

5 tips to maximize focus and memory: 1) Meditate at least 20 minutes a day, 2) Deliberately focus  when paying attention is needed, 3) Resist multi-tasking, 4) Reduce extraneous physical distractions, and 5) Sleep 7 to 8 hours a night. (Mind, Mood & Memory, March 2013, p. 5)

Behavioral Tip

14 Feb

Even a little exercise can significantly extend life. (Monitor on Psychology, 2013, 44, 2, p. 19)

Elders, Beware

12 Feb

Older people are likely to miss social cues indicating that a person is not to be trusted.

(Monitor on Psychology, 2013, 44, 2, p. 19)

Joke

7 Feb

“I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman, ‘Where’s the self-help section?’ She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.” (Steven Wright)

Albert Einstein

5 Feb

“You never fail until you stop trying.”

Support for Psychotherapy

3 Feb

There is a “growing body of research that shows that for many psychological problems psychotherapy works better in the long term and is more cost-effective and long-lasting than medication, says Katherine C. Nordal, PhD, APA’s executive director for professional practice.” (Monitor on Psychology, 2013, 44, 2, p. 50)