MAKE YOUR LIFE STRATEGY: Happiness Is A Journey, Not A Destination...

MAKE YOUR LIFE STRATEGY: Happiness Is A Journey, Not A Destination...: We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, then another. Then we are frustrated that the kids...

Stress Management: 20 Ways To Get Stress Out of Your Life

Stress and anxiety are some of the worst illnesses afflicting our modern times. Not only do they reduce our happiness and ability to enjoy our lives and our loved ones, but they are also the leading causes of many types of diseases and afflictions of the body, as well as the mind. So it is of paramount importance that we are all familiar with ways to reduce our overall, or momentary, stress. Here are 20 great and easy ways to reduce your stress and start feeling a whole lot better! 1. Take a deep breath. As simple as that sounds, deep breaths reduce the amount of cortisol, which can help release stress and anxiety. So next time you feel overwhelmed, take some deep breaths. 2. Meditation: The best thing about meditation is that it allows the brain to relax for a bit and so decreases the overthinking we do and the stress that comes with it. Give your mind a well needed break. 3. Retreat to your imagination: Imagine a peaceful scene, and let calm wash over you. If it doesn't work, imagine a happy memory of a time when you felt at ease. 4. Exercise: Not only does physical activity gives a well needed release for your anger and frustration, the endorphins that are released after that activity help to drastically reduce the anxiety, as well as making you feel more powerful and in control. 5. Have sexual relations: Research shows that having sexual relations reduces the symptoms of stress and anxiety in a significant way. 6. Music: Studies show that listening to music can elevate stress by activating bio-chemical mechanisms in the brain responsible for controlling the amount of stress we feel. yoga 7. Yoga: We'll say it again - yoga is great. The combination of breathing techniques and physical activity makes yoga one heck of a soldier in the fight against anxiety. 8. Walking: A quiet walk, especially at night, can do wonders for stress. 9. Talk to a loved one: Some people need to 'get it off their chest', and who better to talk to than someone who is on your side. Maybe it's a partner, a great friend or a relative, but the interaction and closeness can do wonders. 10. Take a break: Take yourselves out of a stressing situation from time to time, don't slog it. The little times off will help you come back with renewed energy. Remember, you are not a machine, you need these little breaks. 11. Scented candles: Studies show that aromatherapy can be very effective against stress, and lavender scents have been directly linked to a decrease in overall stress. 12. A long, pampering massage: There's nothing like a good massage to take away all the combined stress in your muscles and let it go. Studies have shown that a 40-minute massage can do a lot to reduce stress in the body as well as improving our self-image. Ask your partner to massage you or pamper yourselves with a professional massage.

13. Get a pet: Statistics show that people who own pets are less stressed. One theory is that pets take us outside of the human world and the stress it creates, and make us forget about it for a while. After all, the world of a cat or a dog is a much nicer, calmer placer, where momentary pleasures are much more important than worrying. 14. Write a diary: Writing a diary is a well known therapy for alleviating stress and anxiety. Pick a time of day to sit down and write about whatever you are feeling and going through. Let the stress flow out with the ink (or virtual ink if you are using a computer). 15. Take a nap: A nap, usually around noon, is a great way to let your body balance its hormones and release stress. 16. Drink tea: Studies show that drinking tea balances the amount of the cortisol hormone released after stress and makes us feel more relaxed. So maybe the English are on to something here... 17. Chew gum: Chewing gum has a similar effect to drinking tea. The ongoing activity will also give you something to focus on other than the stress, and will prevent you from clenching your jaw and causing yourselves pain.

18. Laugh: It's not a myth that laughter can be the best medicine, as it releases endorphins that significantly reduce the levels of stress in the body. So watch a comedy, read some jokes or share some laughs with a funny friend. 19. Take time for yourselves: Find time to be alone, isolate the disturbing thoughts and think of creative ideas. Sometimes it's better not to run from stress, but deal with it alone. 20. Believe in yourselves: If there's one thing we can leave you with, it is this: Know that you have the power to succeed and overcome any problem, believe in yourselves enough to take risks and take that important step forward From Internet source

Learn how to get rid of general anxiety and a Natural cure for it .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py_jRvkP7ho

Anxiety is a worldwide problem. It is a problem where our own biology—which was designed to insure our survival as hunters and gatherers—is sabotaging our bodies and minds. When we feel fear or stress, our body releases cortisol (the stress hormone). This cortisol release is part of the fight or flight response. Back in the day, it enabled us to do things like jump out of the way of an attacking predator or falling rock. In today's world, those kind of dangers aren't as relevant. But even though they aren't relevant, we still have the same biological reaction to stress. Any time we perceive danger, our body reacts the same way it would if our survival were at risk and our fight or flight response, is triggered. The body releases cortisol when we get cut off on the highway, our body releases cortisol when we think about being unable to pay the bills on time, our body releases cortisol when we are approached by our boss. What's more... our body released cortisol whenever we think a fearful thought. Basically, instead of our modern lives being less stressful, they are an absolute minefield of stress inducing scenarios. This means that Cortisol (the stress hormone) is reeking havoc on us in our day to day lives. In this  episode of Ask Teal, Teal shares eleven tips, which will help us to get rid of anxiety.

Kuan Yin's Mantra (c) 2002 Lisa Thiel - 

used by permission

http://www.sacreddream.com

This is not a LIE

This is not a LIE

This is not a LIE

This is an article In a e-magazine Posted On July 30, 2014 , By Manasvi Sharma, One World News on lying in which my views are published.click ion the site below to read it.
This is not a LIE

Liar,Liar,why you lie? : Counselling & Therapy for Habitual Liars

Oh ,I am a millionaire,  you know just I am coming from Ambani's party!, Milind   at the party was telling others present  ,he seems to be boasting as he is just well to do ,employed person in MNC.

The onlookers were amused..Why he is lying ?Some people are simply addicted to lying; they are not comfortable in revealing the truth about themselves or some aspect of their life. These people might not know about the lie, because he or she has always believed that it is true. People in this category often qualify for a Mental Health Disorder

The most common lies people tell about how much  money they have ,or about their position and some time their feelings. Some people are afraid to help others so they don’t want to disclose their wealth or their work. Some time people are faced with a bad time, but they always say that they are right, because they don’t want to take any care. They think that in this case they may lose their self esteem.

Liar has Low self-estimation and fear or laziness has a wish to make  life better without working hard.. It's always easier to make something up than really to do it.pathological liar will just lie compulsively (It is a just sometimes spoken lies /word but not necessarily  the bad deeds .lie  but will not steal or cheat or do illegal things .

The terms Pathological Liar, Habitual Liar and Chronic Liar are often used to refer to a Compulsive Liar.

Normal people become crooks /liars if they remain  unemployed  during economic crisis,recession, their gloomy moods  makes  these  People who are not criminals  into attempting frauds which is at first  small in monetary ,stupid, attempts, amateur frauds and if they keep doing it become harden criminals.

Statistic &Frequency of lying:
research &Studies show that people lie  anywhere from 10 to 200 times . . We lie more often to strangers than we lie to our coworkers. Extroverts lie more than introverts. Men lie eight times more about themselves than they do with other people. Women lie more to protect other people.  An average a married couple, one can lie to the spouse in one out of every 10 interactions. If unmarried, that number drops to three. We lie on an as-needed basis.

Lying by Omission Everyone at times, do not offer out less desirable details. Sometimes you do this to be sensitive or to spare a person’s feelings, but sometimes those details matter, and you know it. For example, if your partner asks what you did that day, you may not mention that you wound up running into an ex and having lunch. Maybe you try to conceal an ongoing flirtation with a colleague in office, boss or co-worker. These may not feel like acts of deception to you, but imagine how your partner would see them. Whether there’s nothing to hide or something real you’d rather they not know about, leaving out significant facts will make you feel shady and create a hotbed for further deceptions. On the other hand, creating an environment where you can be open about these things will promote a feeling of mutual trust and honest communication.

 what is the situations when people lie the most?

1.  When they do not want to help the other person in need
2.      When people want economic help & ask for loans, do not want to lend money ,underlying fear is ,I will not get my money back
3.       To help in matrimonial alliance, people do not want to help with the fear in mind, if something goes wrong”, I will be held liable”.
4.       When giving feed-backs to other people
5. .    In political circles :either to make you look good or deceive others .
6.     While doing Business transactions, to gain or save money: Many people lie for making quick financial gains. If a person is under time pressure and the decision to lie could go to get a financial reward. They do promises of quick and easy financial deliverance and for gaining the trust they mislead them with ultimate happiness. 
7.       To control situation: In some cases, a lie is said to ensure the well-being of a person. In many situations, one does not have the time to explain the whole situation to a person and convince him or her, that what is being done is right. In many cases, a lie can help to control a particular situation from aggravation. They lie to deal with the situation that may be scattered because of the stupidity of second person.
8.   To   Avoid Criticism: There are many people who lie to avoid criticism from others. They lie out in the enforcement or because they want to present themselves as someone they are not. People feel that their self esteem is endangered; they immediately begin to lie at higher levels. 
9. To  Avoid Misconception Sometimes, people lie because of the misconception, which the bitter truth is not accepted without some sugar coating, and that a little embellishing of facts will not hurt anyone. They often lie in the dramatic way, and use the philosophies and interesting examples to make others believe them. This type of lie is known as a White Lie. 
10.  Fear Phobia of Reality: People are sometimes anxious about revealing certain facts related to their past, or about themselves, which they feel would lead to their partner leaving the relationship. A person may hide their activities or expenditure in order to avoid incurring the wrath of his or her partner.
11. Social Management or lying to manage social contacts. Many lies are simply done in order to maintain social contacts. Such lies are spoken to avoid consequences and conflict as well as to protect themselves from harm, punishment, rejection, dislikes or loss. Lies, which can increase the influence and reputation in the community have uttered by such people. These people are likely to admire others without any reason, and praise them that they are too intelligent or beautiful or have many qualities. 
12. Lying for Self-Protection—Too often, people are coached by an inner critic to not express directly what they want or feel toward other people. You may have a guard up that tells you not to be too vulnerable. You may downplay your emotions or act like you don’t care, because you don’t want to feel or look like a fool. But defending yourself with deceptions or false portrayals of who you are will drive you further from your goals and will likely prevent you from getting what you want in life.
13. Gossip or Covert Communication—Gossip is an epidemic. It’s in every household, office space and coffee house. It’s a booming industry taking over our media. The biggest problem with talking about someone behind their back is that you may flat out deny these observations when face-to-face with that person. You can see how this can be harmful to your relationships. A true friend or loved one should be someone you can talk openly with, someone to whom you can offer feedback and welcome the same in return.
14. Another problem is that gossip breeds cynicism and destroys compassion. It’s a nasty way of indirectly dealing with real observations or competitive feelings. When you favor direct communication over gossip, you become a more genuine, compassionate, not to mention appealing, person to be around.
15. Some people believe you need lies to survive in a relationship. I would argue that this is untrue. Misleading a person distorts their reality and makes them feel crazy, which is one of the most unethical things you can do to another person. So what can you do to be more honest .
16. Bragging  or exaggerating :Such  people who seems to feel compelled to lie about has a problem. We often call these persons pathological liars. They lie to protect themselves, look good, gain financially or socially and avoid penalties. They feel a compulsion to tell lies and can lie without any apparent benefit at all. People’s insecurities about themselves may lead them to try to preserve a certain image of themselves, and they may experience a need for approval from others. However, when you exaggerate or don’t represent yourself honestly, you are left feeling like a fraud, which further hurts your self-esteem. There’s a fine line between highlighting your attributes and completely inflating your abilities. At work, you may promise to finish a task you know you won’t be able to complete on time. You may exaggerate to a boss when it comes to your progress or skill level. Doing this will lead to trouble when, most likely, your actions will fail to match your words.
17. Lying to compensate for guilt. Parents often do this with their children, missing a soccer game, for instance, then promising they’ll show up at every game for the rest of the year —only to disappoint again soon-after. It’s hard to hide a broken promise, a missed meeting or a poor performance. Exaggerating deems you untrustworthy. Your words start to mean a lot less when the reality doesn't match up. Plus, you may never believe that you’re being chosen or cared about for who you really are.
18. Face saving: Far more troubling group is those who lie a lot and deliberately for personal gain. This type of people often lies for face saving. These people may have a diagnosis called antisocial personality disorder, also known as a sociopath. Lying often gets worse with the passage of time. When they get away with a lie it often impels them to continue their deceptions. 
19. Attempt to cover shortcomings in personality: People lie to protect themselves, because of some associated fears and to cover those fears. . Lying is an attempt to bridge the gap, to connect our wishes and our fantasies about who we wish we were, how we wish we could be, with what we're really like.  Not all lies are harmful. There are half truths, grey shades between   lie and truth. Lying is a cooperative act, since a lie has no power whatsoever by its mere utterance. Its power emerges when someone else agrees to believe the lie.. Sometimes we're willing participants in deception for the sake of social dignity, just like being polite. Since we think maybe to keep a our real opinion secret not to harm or judge harshly.. So we say, "Nicely drawn picture or we tell wife or GF or sister , "darling,, you don't look fat in that, no, not at all.”

.Are there gestures to detect if a person is lying or not?

There is test for detection for Compulsive Lying -Polygraph Test. Polygraphs are commonly known as "lie detector tests”, Since the polygraph test is designed to look for changes in a person's physiological changes in  responses, it is possible for a person who is a compulsive liar (and quite comfortable with saying things that are not true) to "beat" the polygraph test. Since these machines are not designed as actual tests for compulsive lying, they are not the most practical (or accurate) way to find out whether someone you know is lying

To detect lying, we should Pay attention to” body language. “

·         Watch for eye contact

·         Watch for a fake or forced smile.

·         Be suspicious of too much unnecessary details in narration of a story, chronology etc.

·         Look for excessive sweating.

·         Fidget all the time. 

·         shift their blink rate, 

·         point their feet towards an exit

·          they freeze their upper bodies when they're lying. 

 The liars won't look you in the eyes. A person who is lying may be able to maintain eye contact with another person, so that may not be a sure sign. A person will break off eye contact and look upward if they are trying to remember something, and this is a normal reaction and not a sign of lying. A person who is lying may unconsciously turn away from the other person they are speaking with or place an object in between them and the other person.

Habitual liars give fake smile (consciously contract the muscles in your cheeks.) But the real smile's in the eyes, the crow's feet of the eyes. They cannot be consciously contracted. . The person may be withdrawn, look down, lower their voice, pause, be kind of jerky-jerky. Ask a deceptive person to tell their narrative or story, they're going to pepper it with way too much detail in all kinds of irrelevant places. And then they're going to tell their story in strict chronological order. And what a trained interrogator does is they come in and in very subtle ways over the course of several hours, they will ask that person to tell that story backwards, and then they'll watch them squirm, and track which questions produce the highest volume of deceptive tells. Why do they do that? Well we all do the same thing. We rehearse our words, but we rarely rehearse our gestures. The liars may say  "yes, “but shake their heads "no." . It's marked by one lip corner pulled up and in. It's the only asymmetrical expression.. They will take barrier objects and put them between themselves and the person that is interviewing them. They'll alter their vocal tone, often making their vocal tone much lower.

 These behaviors are just behaviors. They're not proof of deception. They're red flags warning signs. everybody must watch

  When or how does a person turn into a pathological liar?

The Psychology of Lying

On the other spectrum, however, are people who tell lies pathologically. They feel a compulsion to tell lies and may lie for no apparent benefit whatsoever. People in this category often qualify for a diagnosis of a mental health disorder as designated by the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Common diagnoses associated with patients who consistently lie include:

·         Antisocial Personality Disorder

·         Borderline Personality Disorder

·         Histrionic Personality Disorder

·         Factitious Disorders

Other mental disorders exist that may result in patients telling lies, but not realizing that what they are saying is not true. Examples include Paranoid Personality Disorder or some of the Dissociative Disorders.

Lying Disorders

Extreme lying is seen as part of a variety of different disorders, and is always treated within those contexts. Addictions, such as addiction to gambling, have lying as one of the symptoms of the disorder. Most commonly, extreme lying behaviors are associated mostly with psychological disorders listed in the DSM-5 as well as other types of conditions, such as:

·         Personality disorders (narcissism, borderline, antisocial, and histrionic)

·         Factitious disorder (lying about having a disease for attention)

·         Malingering (lying to avoid consequences or gain a benefit)

·         Confabulation (lying to cover periods of amnesia)

·         Pathological lying

There is a lot of debate surrounding pathological lying, including providing a unified definition of what it is and its clinical manifestations. Some feel that extreme lying can occur with the absence of other psychological disorders. Others feel that this rarely, if ever, occurs. Either way, your clinician will give you a full assessment to understand your lying in the context of many different factors.

Furthermore, some people are led to lie as a result of their disorder even though the disorder itself does not directly cause the lying. For example, a person diagnosed with an eating disorder may lie about caloric intake in an attempt to avoid eating another meal, or a compulsive gambler may lie about how much money was spent at a trip to the casino. On the other hand, some people who lie have no mental disorder at all.

Pathological liar or Addition to lying:

Some people who seem to feel compelled to lie about both the small and large stuff has a problem. We often call these persons pathological liars. They lie to protect themselves, look good, gain financially or socially and avoid penalties. They feel a compulsion to tell lies and can lie without any apparent benefit at all.

So when a person is not able to give truthful information about anything and always compulsively  lie ,is called pathological liar Some people are simply addicted to lying, they are not comfortable in revealing the truth about themselves or some aspect of their life. These people might not know about the lie, because he or she has always believed that it is true. People in this category often qualify for a Mental Health Disorder

Sociopath: people with more troubles are those who lie a lot and deliberately for personal gain. This type of people often lies for face saving. These people may have a diagnosis called antisocial personality disorder, also known as a sociopath. Lying often gets worse with the passage of time. When they get away with a lie it often impels them to continue their deceptions.

The Neurology of Lying

Neuro-psychologists know that there is a distinct difference in brain activity when a person tells the truth as opposed to when a person tells a lie. Different parts of the brain are used to deliberately tell a falsehood than are used to speak the truth, so from a neuro-psychological viewpoint, there is a distinct difference between the two. This is the reason why there is a physical reaction to the act of telling a lie. There is much more to telling a lie than meets the eye .When People feel that their self esteem is endangered; they immediately begin to lie at higher levels. 

 Tips to stop ourselves from lying?

1.  If you know a compulsive liar and are interested in getting this person into treatment, know that this is a very difficult thing to do. Most often, when a person is lying, the person is likely trying to avoid a negative outcome, lying to get his or her needs met, or is hiding the truth from him or herself. If the person is still living in a state of denial, the therapeutic process cannot be forced upon the person, and can actually do more harm than good.
2.    Seek treatment with a competent behavioral professional. If lying is taking over your life, ruining your relationships, and squelching your professional potential, you need to seek the advice of a mental health professional  You can meet with taking an appointment. Counselor/Psychiatrist/Therapist   Treatment may include counseling, behavior modification or contracts between the patient and therapist that include negative consequences for lying and positive reinforcements when the patient consistently tells the truth. For this reason there is hope for people who have a problem with compulsively telling lies for whatever reason.Treatment for compulsive lying is complicated, but not impossible.
3.        You can begin by being honest with yourself. First off, you can stop listening to your “critical inner voice.” Shading the truth often comes from listening to an inner coach that’s not on your side, which instructs you to self-protect by telling you things like you can only be accepted if you say the right thing or don’t really reveal yourself. In relation to your boss, it may tell you, “You've been messing up lately so make your boss think you solved this problem without the help of your co-workers.” With your spouse, it may say, “Don’t tell her you forgot her birthday; it will only lead to a fight.” In relation to a competitor, it may advise you “Don’t let him know you think he’s talented. Don’t let your guard down; he’ll just use the truth to hurt you.” By getting to know this inner critic, you can separate it from your real point of view and act against it.
4.  . Next, you can take chances on the people you care about by being a lot more honest and direct with them. You can find healthy and considerate ways to express yourself and to be sensitive to the other person’s sense of reality. The truth may not always be easy to hear, but in the long term, you will earn a lot more trust and respect from the people whose opinion you value the most.
5. .  4.  Start trust building exercise: When it comes to the truth, it’s important to think about whether you want people to trust you. Do you value integrity and want your words to be reflected in your actions? If you commit to these attributes on a behavioral level, you’ll be better able to gain trust and live your life with honest, open communication. This world may not be perfect, nor the truth always easy to take, but you can find peace and freedom in the security of knowing that the world you've created around you is as real as it gets.
6. .      Stop saying yes when you really mean no. This is one of the biggest problems for many people who feel obliged to say "yes" to others for all sorts of reasons. If those reasons aren't being true to caring for your own needs and time resources, then it's important to say no instead. Saying "no" will, like everything else, take practice but you'll soon learn that people prefer to know that you mean it and that you're not going to let them down by saying yes but never doing it. While some people may seem offended by a "no" when you'd usually say yes to them, often this indicates more about their own need to use you, in which case it's good for them to learn that you're standing up for yourself.
7.       Identify your defense mechanisms. Using defensiveness, victimization, anger, intellectualizing or outrage as means to promote your point of view while ignoring all others is a form of self deception. When you get on your high horse and claim that others should adhere to your point of view, you are lying to yourself because your reactions are defense mechanisms, and disrespectful of the viewpoint of others. That is not the real you. The real you is the one whose passions, beliefs, values and preferences matter but should be vocalized and shown in constructive ways that help and nurture others, not treat them as targets to be won over to your point of view.
8.      Instead of lying ,acknowledge when you're scared. Lies are often something we tell when we want to protect ourselves. The desire to protect is a response to something that you fear. The more you acknowledge your fears, the less you'll need to lie. Whenever you find yourself rationalizing something, or your intuition triggers some introspection, ask yourself: "What am I scared might happen. 
9.  Make a conscious effort to notice moments throughout the day when you're trying to be someone you're not. While it's great to learn from others and copycat things that have worked for them, taking this too far and trying to be them will result in you losing your sense of self and trying to be someone you're not. Similarly, contorting yourself to meet others' expectations will erode your individuality, and break your spirit. Don't do or say things just because another person does or expects you to; source the need to behave that way from within and if it's not true to yourself, either don't do it or tailor it completely to reflect your own self.
10.       Recognize when you're exaggerating your abilities, accomplishments and skills. These sorts of lies to yourself will eventually cause you confusion, frustration and loss when you overestimate what you're capable of. For some people, this can lead to fulfillment of the "Peter Principle", where you allow yourself to be promoted beyond your skill set yet spend your time trying to vainly prove you're capable. This can lead to burnout, a sense of failure and even a reduction in reputation as others discover you can't keep up in the way you said you would. Exaggeration of this sort doesn't help you to get ahead and prevents you from being true to yourself.
11. .      Learn to be humble.
12.       Share your vulnerabilities with other people. This helps you to better connect with people who recognize the same vulnerabilities in themselves and it also shows them that you are authentic.
13.       Be wary of when you tell yourself that things are going to change but you do nothing to make this happen. Saying that you'd like things to be different is one thing. Action is another. Many people lie to themselves by wishing that they'd win the lottery, receive an inheritance, find the perfect job, etc., and then simply get on with all they can't stand about their lives, passively waiting for... who knows what to happen. You'll know this lie if you find yourself saying a lot: "If only." If only won't make changes for you; only your action and determination can do that.
14.       Acknowledge your tunnel vision. Everyone has it, to some extent. Realize that your truth is just that––your truth. Don't lie to yourself by thinking that the way you see the world is the only way to see the world. It's this kind of narrow approach that gets people into endless arguments from which they won't back down, as they try to enforce their reality onto others, denying the reality of anyone else.
15. .  Hold yourself to a high standard of internal truth telling. It will probably take practice but once you're alert to the need to be more self-truthful, you'll catch yourself when you lie to yourself and start stopping it from happening. Amazing things will happen as you are more truthful to yourself––you'll trust yourself more, you'll feel yourself worth increase and you'll understand your limitations and when to rely on others rather than trying to "do it all" yourself. You'll be more inclined to get on with things instead of moping or falling into self-piteous moments, and you'll have more energy because you're not holding up a front, concealing your true nature or worrying about hiding your vulnerabilities. Ultimately, not lying to yourself is a way of giving others the gift of the real you, and on that they can rely.

"Hot and Hauty" ,Read my view about Anger managemen tquoted in Times Of India ,chennai edi..by Kamini Mathai,april,20,2014

http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com//Article.aspx?eid=31807&articlexml=Hot-and-HAUGHTY-20042014002005#

Apr 20 2014 : The Times of India (Chennai)

Hot and HAUGHTY

Kamini Mathai

| TNN





RISING MERCURY CAN RESULT IN INCREASED LEVELS OF AGGRESSION, SAY NEW STUDIES ON MENTAL HEALTH

The hotter it gets, chances are, the hotter you get. As the temperatures rise, the tempers too will flare, say psychologists.
But while you have no control over the heat, especially now that Chennai enters its sunniest month, anger levels can be tempered “The basic rule is to keep the external temperature at a level that your body is comfortable with so it is not under any additional `stress', which can affect your state of mind, leading to an increased pulse rate, causing anger, frustration, and anxiety ,“ says Chennai-based counsellor Dr Mini Rao. She always makes sure that the airconditioning in her office is in perfect working condition. “I can see my patients cooling down in front of me,“ she says.In her 2013 study on `extreme weather events and mental health, psychologist Jyotsana Shukla mentions that experimental and correlational research have shown there is a causal relationship between heat and violence. Rising global temperatures may be followed by an increase in incidents of violent aggression, as may be seen in increasing rates of assault, rape, and robbery .
“Climate change might increase people's tendency to be more aggressive towards each other. This may be because more stress hormones are released into the bloodstream due to excessive exposure to heat, and that might impact mental health,“ says Shukla, an associate professor at Amity Institute of Behavioral and Allied Sci ences, Lucknow. “With rising global temperatures, people with mental illness are also at an increased risk of heat-related deaths.
Heat strokes may lead to delirium and neuropsychiatric syndromes with symptoms like altered consciousness, agitation, unconsciousness, and even death,“ says Shukla.
Although he doesn't quite agree with the direct correlation between external temperature and increased anger, Chennai-based neuropsychiatrist Dr ES Krishnamoorthy says that intolerance to heat and cold has a biological element. “You are born with better or worse tolerance. Those who don't have the ability to regulate internal temperature in relation to external temperature are more susceptible to change in external temperatures,“ he says.
But as Shukla mentions in her study , research done over decades have shown a correlation between extreme climatic conditions and amplified violence regardless of demographics. Hotter temperatures have been shown to coincide with a high incidence of domestic violence in India and Australia; increased assaults in the US; and excessive police force in the Netherlands.
New Delhi-based anger management specialist and counsellor Rekha Deshmukh says both a genetic predisposition and learned angry behaviour responses play a major role in anger levels. “I have found that a rise in temperature heat causes initial retaliatory aggression, decreases the performance level on cognitive tasks, and increases irritability. You not only think angry , you act on your anger,“ says Deshmukh.
Shukla, who is a contrib uting author for a soon-to be published book on cli mate change and mental health, says that accept ing extremes in weather is one good way to pre pare to tackle it mentally and emotionally . That's why at Dr Rao's clinic in Chennai, when summer sets in, the sessions begin with a small talk on the weather, and how it can make a person uncomfort able. “I have found that talk ing about the weather has a calming effect,“ she says.