NewYork-Presbyterian Psychiatrists Offer Advice for Reducing Holiday Stress   Newswise — NEW YORK (October 2012) — Crowded shopping centers, visits from long-lost relatives, and the pressure of preparing holiday meals can all summon one universal reaction: stress. The holidays may be the season of love and celebration, but sometimes festivities can become overwhelming. Dr. Mallay Occhiogrosso, a psychiatrist at the Payne Whitney Clinic at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, says, “Overly high expectations for the holidays — be it around the food, the gifts, or the family relationships — can trigger anxiety and even depression. Prioritizing self-care is important, as well as dialing down those unrealistic ‘Hallmark holiday’ fantasies.”…

  The importance of letting regrets go By Christopher Berger  | Tuesday, June 12, 2012 The poem “Maud Muller” by John Greenleaf Whittier aptly ends with the line, “For of all sad words of tongue or pen, The saddest are these: ‘It might have been!’” What if you had gone for the risky investment that you later found out made someone else rich, or if you had had the guts to ask that certain someone to marry you? Certainly, we’ve all had instances in our lives where hindsight makes us regret not sticking our neck out a bit more. But new research suggests that when we are older these kinds…

Have you ever had a “gut-wrenching” experience? Do certain situations make you “feel nauseous”? Have you ever felt “butterflies” in your stomach? We use these expressions for a reason. The gastrointestinal tract is sensitive to emotion. Anger, anxiety, sadness, elation — all of these feelings (and others) can trigger symptoms in the gut.

Random acts of kindness can snowball into more positive mood overall, experts say MONDAY, Jan. 2 (HealthDay News) — Doing something nice for someone else often leaves people feeling good about themselves and positive about their place in the world. But does that mean practicing random acts of kindness has scientifically proven therapeutic value in treating mood disorders like depression? Yes, according to a growing body of research that has found that “positive activity interventions” — like helping someone with groceries, writing a thank you note or even counting your blessings — can serve as an effective, low-cost treatment for depression.

What You Should Never Say: How to Avoid Self-sabotage     Have you ever walked into a company-related social gathering and noticed right away that handsome, tall guy with a killer smile? An hour later you bump into him and start some small talk. While you’re mesmerized talking to him, you begin to get distracted by his negative comments. With every passing minute, the guy standing in front of you is looking less attractive than you had originally imagined. Why? It’s simple: his choice of words.

The Five Levels of Passive Aggressive Behavior Procrastinator? Excuse maker? What kind of passive aggressive are you?

  For grownups, drifting off for an afternoon snooze is often easier said than done. But many of us have probably experienced just how simple it can be to catch those zzz’s in a gently rocking hammock. By examining brain waves in sleeping adults, researchers reporting in the June 21 issue of Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, now have evidence to explain why that is. The study finds that napping on a slowly swinging bed really does get us to sleep faster. To the researchers’ surprise, rocking also changes the nature of our sleep, encouraging deeper sleep.

People who let go of regrets were more satisfied with life, study finds   People who remember the past fondly are more likely to experience greater happiness in the present, according to a new study. Similarly, researchers found that people who tend to focus on regrets and negative experiences are not as satisfied with their lives as those who maintain a rosier view of the past.