Wilson Counseling: The Armchair Chronicles

We all have times when it is hard to relax. You may have a lot on you mind, feel overtired, or just can't seem to get to sleep. Instead of using alcohol or t.v. to help you sleep (both of which often cause you to have a poorer nights sleep), try these yoga poses, from an article in Women's Health , instead. You will reap both the emotional and physical benefits. And, you might actually have fun doing it.

If things feel off-kilter in your life, you may be doing some of these twelve things listed in this Health.com article that sabotage your mental health. The great thing about the article is that it also give you practical ideas for what you can do to change those behaviors. http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20694928,00.html?xid=healthyliving05012013

How much sleep do you get a night? The answer to that question could tell me a lot about how well you are able to handle the every day stresses of life. The National Sleep Foundation recommends 7-9 hours a night for adults. One major study has shown that people with insomnia are five times more likely to develop depression and twenty times more likely to develop a panic disorder (a type of anxiety disorder). People who got only 4.5 hours of sleep reported feeling more stressed, angry, sad and mentally tired. Wow. But, before you panic about your poor sleeping patterns, read on to find out what you can do to get better sleep, and be a better you. In a previous post, I discussed the effect of blue light from devices like smart phones on your sleep. Besides turning off those devices at least two hours before bed, there are quite a few other things you can do to improve your sleep hygiene. Exercise early in the day. Daily exercise serves to improve your mood and also helps you ...