Two is Better Than One

Get to Know Your Neurotransmitters The neurotransmitters most involved with addictions are dopamine, endorphins, enkephalin, epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine, serotonin, and GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid). Dopamine arouses the pleasures of the sympathetic nervous sys tem. It lifts depression and makes us feel energized and generally happy. Stimulants such as amphetamines and caffeine mimic the dopamine effect. Here are some ideas for protein sources you can add to your meals. Remember, as a general guideline you should aim for three to four servings per day, and one serving = the size of your palm for meats, or a cup for other sources. STOP HATING ON CARBS The place to start with carbs is to understand exactly what they are. Carbs have been vilified for so long. But when you're eating a salad or a plate full of veggies, keep in mind that these are carbs too. One of the biggest issues I have with the diet culture is the message to women that carbs are bad! It's such a sweeping statement, with little foundation, and it's partly responsible for disordered eating. All carbohydrates, no matter what their original source, eventually end up in your body in the form of glucose. Glucose is essential to life. The results were amazing (remember these were chronic insomniacs, most of whom had been taking sleeping pills for over 15 years). Within a week they reported improved sleep. Over the course of the study their sleep efficiency improved from 67% to 87%. By the end of eight weeks they were spending 90 minutes less time in bed each night, but sleeping for longer than before. What I find particularly impressive is that the amount of time they spent awake, in bed, fretting, was down by almost 2 hours!

Even better, unlike drugs, doing sleep restriction had long-lasting results with no side effects. In a follow-up study carried out nine months later almost all of them had managed to keep their insomnia at bay. Spielman's experiment has been repeated many times and a recent meta-analysis68 showed very clearly that this technique works: cutting down time spent in bed really does reset the brain. People sleep more deeply, wake up less often, and feel much better during the day. What are the benefits? People with Asperger syndrome may walk in a slightly odd way: their movements might be quite stiff, their arms swinging in a kind of regimented way, or perhaps there might be a clumsiness to their movements. There may also be an awkwardness or oddness to the way in which they take part in conversations. Some partners describe their facial expressions as `wooden'. Eye contact can be evasive and this may sometimes give the impression that there is a lack of honesty or openness, which is not the case. When you know that someone has Asperger syndrome, these problematic issues in communication can be explained and understood. SEEKING A DIAGNOSIS Making the decision to be assessed A couple needs to give very careful consideration to the question of whether or not they should seek out a diagnosis. If one partner does not want to accept or investigate the possibility of Asperger syndrome (Autism Spectrum Disorder), the other partner has to decide how important it is to them, and if they can live without having a formal diagnosis. Whatever they decide, it must be the decision of the person who may have Asperger syndrome to go and seek a referral, and the other partner should not try to force the situation either way. Living in an environment that is unhealthy (due to unnatural stressors or even dangerous toxins) will take a large toll on you. It is important to remember that environmental toxins can create severe neurological issues, even when a person's diet is fine. It doesn't help to eat healthily, but you are still exposed to other toxins every day that are harming you in the process. If you are still experiencing issues after changing your diet, consult with a medical professional to get lab testing done. There may be underlying problems that need to be addressed to help you get healthy again.

If you are worried about the overall influence of the environment that you are in, then you may need to try distancing yourself from that particular environment. If you can afford to vacation, do so. Or, try spending a day or two in a different home or try working from a different place. If during the time away, your symptoms improve, then you may have found your answer about what is affecting your physical condition and brain health. It is important to note, that if you do suspect that there are areas in your work or home environment that are actually harming you, then you will have to take action before the symptoms worsen. Sometimes it's just plain hard to identify your gremlin thoughts, and just plain hard to not get hooked by them. Awareness is the first step, and writing down every thought you have in five minutes is a simple exercise to become more aware of the constant messages we are telling ourselves all day long. Asking these questions might help: What metaphor can you think of for having thoughts running through your mind all day long? Do you notice all of your thoughts? How do you feel different when you tell yourself something positive versus something negative? When do you notice you have negative thoughts the most? For girls (and women! An additional cool visual is to draw a picture of what your gremlin looks like on a piece of magic rice paper (I get mine at https://www. Poke at it with a pen, just like you might poke at your actual gremlin thoughts to decide if they're true or not, and watch it disintegrate before your very eyes! Start writing perhaps three days a week, first thing in the morning or before bed. Journal for Mental Health When you were a teenager, you could have kept a journal hidden under your mattress. It was a place to confess your struggles and fears without judging or punishing you. It probably felt good to get all those thoughts and feelings out of your head and put them on paper.

The world seemed brighter. You may have stopped using a journal once you reached adulthood. But the concept and its benefits still apply. Now it's called a diary. Just write down your thoughts and feelings to understand them more clearly. Social media can be a false world with people trying to prove their significance. Comparing your life to others' will create thoughts of jealously. If you feel social media is affecting your feelings about yourself, than look at it like an enemy and treat it like an enemy. Back off, and begin the process of distancing yourself from it. Review the comments you post on social media. Are you proud of them? Have you shown empathy and compassion? Have you followed the golden rule of treating others the way you want to be treated? Or have you been sucked into negativity and written things you shouldn't have? Remember, all you post, even if deleted, can be found later. That drink isn't a problem for them. What are they actually proving? That it is. If they didn't think their drinking was a problem and they genuinely enjoyed it, why go without for a whole month? Imagine if a friend told you they were giving up bananas for January.

Would you think, There's someone who's in control of their bananas? Or would you think, Golly! I didn't know he had a banana problem! As for the excuse, It's not doing me any harm, even if that were true, is it any reason for doing something? Wearing a top hat and singing Waltzing Matilda doesn't do any harm, but I wouldn't choose to do it for that reason. That belief is what pushes us to try to good to humanity. Ever wonder why some people are evil-minded while others are gracious and loving to their fellow men. It's the inner world they create for themselves to influence their behaviors. The Six Basic Human Needs In our daily walk, we tend to form decisions and take actions on the idea of what we expect, feel, and believe is vital to us. Most of the time, it's not automatic to us why we make the choice we make but the very fact is that each one folks have a singular perception that naturally places some decisions and actions over others. The planet comprises of very folks and different versions of reality unfolding daily across the planet but all of us share a crucial set of human needs that guides and motivate the choices and actions we take. Anthony Robbins introduces the six human needs. Anthony robin has had a lifelong interest, which he cultivated around human behavior, motivation, and development. He merged his research with neural linguistic programming, cognitive therapy, gestalt therapy, and Maslow's hierarchy of needs, and he came up with how of revolving around his believes in what he mentioned because the six core psychological needs. Are raises based primarily on a cost-of-living formula, or are they tied to performance? Your toughest obstacle may not be what others earn, but what you yourself have earned in the past. The objective of negotiation in this case is to divorce the issue of prospective compensation from the record of what you earned in the past. I see performance--performance and my qualifications--as relevant to salary. I think that we're both agreed that I offer great value to the company.