In the difficult financial times we are going through many of us are desperately looking for methods to relieve anxiety. Learning how to relieve anxiety is very important.  Anxiety is not just something that you can brush aside but is a crippling condition of the mind which can perpetuate itself and cause physical problems such as poor memory .

Being under stress producing anxiety causes cortisol to be released which can damage the hippocampus, the part of the brain concerned with memory. In fact the hippocampus shrinks under the constant influence of cortisol and according to Canadian scientist Donald Hebb those with longstanding stress and anxiety have lost up to a quarter of the volume in their hippocampus leading to problems with retaining new information.

“Anxiety becomes a disorder when the symptoms become chronic and interfere with our daily lives and our ability to function. People suffering from chronic anxiety often report the following symptoms: Muscle tension, weakness, poor memory, sweaty hands, fear or confusion, inability to relax, constant worry, shortness of breath, palpitations,upset stomach and  poor concentration.  These symptoms are severe and upsetting enough to make individuals feel extremely uncomfortable, out of control and helpless.”

Well maybe there is a way out. In “Just One Thing: Developing A Buddha Brain One Simple Practice at a Time neuropsychologist Rick Hanson, Ph.D describes down-to-earth ways to build up a “Buddha brain” for more peace of mind in stressful times, greater inner strength and confidence, and an unshakable sense of contentment and worth.

“Each day we are pushed around by external forces – from the economy to the people we live and work with – and by reactions to these that come from ancient reptile/mammal/primate/caveman circuits inside our own brains. But now, with the power of modern neuroscience, we can take charge of the brain and gradually change it for the better.”

On his website Dr. Hanson writes that:

“The original meaning of the word “Buddha” is one who knows how to be truly happy and effective. Developing a buddha brain is for anyone – Christian, Jewish, atheist, etc.—who wants this kind of brain.

The book presents 52 practices – simple actions inside your mind – that light up neural networks of deep well-being and resilience. And because “neurons that fire together, wire together,” each time you do a practice, it strengthens key neural circuits like building a muscle in the gym.

Each practice is grounded in modern neuroscience, positive psychology, Rick’s background in the very real world of business and raising a family. Each bite-size chapter introduces a new practice, explains why it’s important, and shows you how to do it….Bottom line, it’s the law of little things. A small thing repeated each day adds up over time to produce big results; a small thing that is in your power to do – in a world in which so many things are not. Just one small thing that could change your life!”

You can get the book at:  Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk

We have very popular anti anxiety brainwave entrainment audio that can help you to relieve your anxiety. Used together with the step by step instructions in the book this could be a great combination to help you to reduce stress and relieve anxiety on an ongoing basis.  Eventually you will be able to do the de-stress routine automatically so that anxiety becomes a thing of the past.

Take a look and listen to a preview here: Reduce Anxiety Audio with Binaural Beats. The audio is very relaxing and in fact is a way to practice mindfulness for a short period each day. This will  certainly pay off.

We have known for some time that drinking alcohol into the late evening will interfere with sleep.  Now another study to be published in the Nov. 2011 issue of  the journal “Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research”confirms this.

If you want uninterrupted sleep don’t drink alcohol. You might fall asleep easily when you have been drinking but you will most likely wake several times during the night and will not feel as rested the following day.

The recent study was carried out on Japan with 100 young men. They were followed for 3 weeks as they drank  3 different kinds of alcoholic drinks during the hour and 40 minutes prior to bedtime. During the period of the study the men’s heart was monitored and it was found that drinking interferes with the restorative functions of sleep.

“It is generally believed that having a nightcap may aid sleep, especially sleep initiation,” said Seiji Nishino, director of the Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology Laboratory at Stanford University School of Medicine in California. “This may be true for some people who have small amounts of alcohol intake. However, it should be noted that large amounts of alcohol intake interfere with sleep quality and the restorative role of sleep and these negative consequences may be much larger during chronic alcohol intake,”

Normally when we sleep at night, the part of the nervous system that is responsible for ‘rest-and-digest’ activities dominates.  But the alcohol seemed to interfere with this, which can result in insomnia, difficulty getting to sleep, early-morning awakening, lack of a sense of deep sleep and difficulty maintaining sleep, the researchers said.  “The results of this study suggest that ethanol interferes with the restorative functions of sleep,” the study’s authors concluded.

Of course we have known this for years but it is good to be reminded again that alcohol may be one of the reasons we are feeling tired. So a good sleep tip is to give up your evening tipple.

A  problem I can see with this study is that the subjects are Japanese. Asian men are known to have a problem digesting alcohol. It would be     useful if theis study could be replicated with non Asians.  It would also be very helpful if for once women were part of such a study. We need to know if women are more or less affected by drinking, especially in the evening.

Brainwave entrainment is a rather long name for something quite simple and natural. It is completely safe when used by a person not subject to a medical condition such as epilepsy.

The “entrainment” part just means that the rhythm that is played is picked up by the brain which synchronizes with it.  This allows us to create audios that have a rhythm that we know can be useful for improving various conditions or reaching desired goals.

You may have heard about binaural beats. These are the best known of the ways in which brainwave entrainment is created. There are also the less well known isochronic tones which in fact are even more effective than binaural beats although I think they don’t sound quite so nice to listen to.

I have posted an in depth article on brainwave entrainment by Timothy Thorpe. If you want to learn more about this topic.

I have just posted an interesting article on depression helped by BWE . The author tells you about how he overcame chronic depression using brainwave entrainment.

The author of the  article used a meditation brainwave entrainment audio which helped to heal him. This suggests that his depressive state was mainly caused by anxiety and that the meditation was able to calm his brainwaves. Meditation will help if you are anxious or have panic attacks which are contributing to or causing your depression.

On the other hand neurofeedback studies show that in many depressed people  there is a lack of beta waves in the frontal lobes  of the brain. Sometimes also there are too many alpha waves in the frontal lobe and on the left side of the brain, while there are not enough alpha waves on the right side of the brain. This can be improved using specially constructed sessions to normalize the brainwaves. As this happens depression lifts. We have a session that does just that:  depression treatment mp3 download.

Clinical depression isn’t about feeling blue or having a bad day but about a clinical mental health condition in which life seems completely joyless and flat. Some say ‘like walking through mud” .It isn’t easy to pull yourself out of clinical depression and you need to see your doctor if you are feeling depressed in that way. Brainwave entrainment can be integrated into whatever treatment you are prescribed.

The article is here: brainwave entrainment and depression.

More than 17 million Americans suffer from depression and anxiety.  So many of us have been touched by depression either by suffering from it ourselves or by a family member being afflicted. Sometimes people who have never been depressed can’t understand why the depressed person can’t just ‘pull themselves together, as the saying goes. Unfortunately they can’t and if they could they most certainly would.

Learn more about self help for anxiety and depression

In some cases depression can be so severe that the victim simply can’t get out of bed in the morning and just seems to cry all day.  When depression is this severe medical treatment is necessary.  But somone needs to help the sufferer to seek medical help because they are just too ill to do that on their own.

I remember a friend of my mother’s who could not manage to look after her  children and her 8 year old would come home from school and have to do the family washing and prepare a meal. Amazing what children can do when they have no other options.

Fortunately such severe cases are less common than the mild but demotivating depression that afficts most. Depression can make everything seem gray and flat, taking all the joy out of life and making the sufferer feel tired and lacking in motivation.  It isn’t always clear just what is causing the depression either.

Self help for depression is possible but usually a little help is needed from a friend or relative in the beginning. It isvery important not to ignore symptoms because clinical depression can become worse if not dealt with. If you suspect a friend or family member may be depressed see if you can arrange for them to see their doctor. You might need to take them to the doctor yourself.

Click here to learn more:  Self Help For Depression and Anxiety