Thursday, April 21, 2016

Anyone out there feeling a little anxious?

Anyone out there feeling a little anxious?

Anxiety. The word itself can make you anxious.  But the feeling isn’t always such a bad thing – it has its place, both as a motivating force and a way to keep us safe. Pointed out Jeremy Dean, author of PsyBlog: “Anxiety tells us we’re in danger and we need to do something. It was our anxious ancestors who prepared better for winter and made plans to fight off neighboring tribes. The relaxed, laid-back guys never made it.”

But while a moderate dose of anxiety may prolong our life, stronger doses clearly are uncomfortable, if not altogether debilitating.  And the numbers are striking: anxiety disorders affect 40 million adults in the U.S. (one in five), and 11 million children (one in eight) – far more common than one might think.  What’s the good news?  Anxiety disorders are highly treatable.  The bad news? “. . . only about one-third of those suffering receive treatment,” according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. 

So what’s an anxious person to do?  Listen to some expert advice: 

Exercise
It’s on everyone’s list – exercise reduces anxiety, and research shows that as little as 20 minutes a day can make a difference. Said Dean: “The benefits of a little workout extend beyond the gym . . . into everyday life. One study has found that although simply resting reduces anxiety, it doesn’t help protect against stressful events (Smith, 2013). Exercise, though, seems to have a more lasting effect, helping to reduce anxiety when faced with stressful situations afterwards. Indeed, many think exercise should be prescribed for depression and anxiety instead of drugs.”

Meditation
The Mayo Clinic explains that “spending a few minutes in meditation can restore your calm and inner peace.” Said the Clinic: “Anyone can practice meditation. It's simple and inexpensive, and it doesn't require any special equipment. And you can practice meditation wherever you are — whether you're out for a walk, riding the bus, waiting at the doctor's office or even in the middle of a difficult business meeting.”

Noted PsyBlog’s Dean: “To pick just one of many recent studies, Zeidan et al. (2013) found that four 20-minute meditation classes were enough to reduce anxiety by up to 39%.”

Added the Mayo Clinic, “some research suggests that meditation may help such conditions as: allergies, anxiety disorders, asthma, binge eating, cancer, depression, fatigue, heart disease, high blood pressure, pain, sleep problems and substance abuse.” The Clinic goes on to cite six types of meditation: guided meditation, mantra meditation, mindfulness meditation, Qi gong, Tai Chi and yoga.

Yoga
A Huffington Post article explained that “practicing yoga can not only be an effective stress reliever, but also a way to ease symptoms of anxiety and depression. By transferring focus and attention to the body and breath, yoga can help to temper anxiety while also releasing physical tension.” ViraYoga founder Elena Brower told the Huffington Post: "Yoga helps our entire system slow down. . . . Our bodies are programmed to heal naturally, and what stops that healing are all the stressors of daily life. Yoga dissolves those stressors for the time during practice and usually the effects last for hours after."

Think Differently
PsychCentral’s Margarita Tartakovsky encourages us to accept those anxious feelings, and quotes clinical  psychologist Marla W. Deibler who said: “Anxiety is just a feeling, like any other feeling”.  Tartakovsky goes on to list nine tips for reducing anxiety:
1.      Take a deep breath;
2.      Accept that you’re anxious;
3.      Realize that your brain is playing tricks on you;
4.      Question your thoughts;
5.      Use a calming visualization;
6.      Be an observer, without judgment;
7.      Use positive self-talk;
8.      Focus on right now; and
9.      Focus on meaningful activities.

Dean adds that “one of the best ways of reducing anxiety is to think about situations differently.  It’s not an exam; it’s a fun little quiz. It’s not a scary presentation; it’s a little chat with a few colleagues. It’s not a job interview; it’s a chance to meet some new people. Most situations can be re-framed in this way and studies show that people who do this naturally – as opposed to trying to suppress their anxiety – feel less anxious in stressful social situations (Llewellyn et al., 2013).”

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Saturday, April 16, 2016

Will the 4th Industrial Revolution diminish what it means to be human?

Will the 4th Industrial Revolution diminish what it means to be human?

Historians insist that the 4th Industrial Revolution is upon us – an age of unprecedented promise and peril as we begin to “fuse the physical, digital and biological worlds,” in the words of Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum.

What characterizes the 4th industrial revolution? Technological breakthroughs in fields such as artificial intelligence (self-driving cards, drones, virtual assistants and software that translates or invests), robotics (smart machines, humans working side by side with robots), 3-D printing, nanotechnology (e.g., nano-bots that can one day be injected into your bloodstream to cure illnesses), biotechnology (designer babies, extending the lifespan, improving cognition, capabilities), materials science, energy storage and quantum computing.

The promise, of course, is that the 4th Industrial Revolution will raise global income levels and quality of life worldwide. But perils exist, led by fears of growing inequality and job loss (noted Larry Elliott, writing for The Guardian: “One estimate [maintains that] 47% of U.S. jobs are at risk from automation”). In that same article, Elliott quotes Schwab who compares Detroit with Silicon Valley.  In 2014, Schwab explained, the automakers and entrepreneurs of Silicon Valley generated the same revenue (roughly $25 billion), but Silicon Valley did it with 137,000 employees, just a tenth of Detroit’s 1.3 million.

Said Schwab, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland this year: “[We’re seeing a] hollowing out of the middle” in the job market, whereby, worldwide, “the demand for highly skilled workers has increased while the demand for workers with less education and lower skills has decreased. The result is a job market with a strong demand at the high and low ends, but a hollowing out of the middle.”

Impact on Humanity, Our Inner Lives

Schwab raises other concerns, chief among them the 4th Industrial Revolution’s impact on humanity – that is, what it means to be human. Schwab also worries about the impact this revolution might have on our inner lives. He explained: “I am a great enthusiast and early adopter of technology, but sometimes I wonder whether the inexorable integration of technology in our lives could diminish some of our quintessential human capacities, such as compassion and cooperation. Our relationship with our smartphones is a case in point. Constant connection may deprive us of one of life’s most important assets: the time to pause, reflect, and engage in meaningful conversation.”

Elliott raises an additional concern, wondering whether governments – as presently constituted – can meet the challenges ahead. Said Elliott: “Faced with the challenge of disruptive new technology, the current political framework is no longer fit for purpose and its shortcomings are likely to lead to a backlash that could turn very nasty.”

Amid these concerns, Schwab maintains that “in the end, it all comes down to people and values. We need to shape a future that works for all of us by putting people first and empowering them. In its most pessimistic, dehumanized form, the 4th Industrial Revolution may indeed have the potential to ‘robotize’ humanity and thus to deprive us of our heart and soul. But as a complement to the best parts of human nature—creativity, empathy, stewardship—it can also lift humanity into a new collective and moral consciousness based on a shared sense of destiny. It is incumbent on us all to make sure the latter prevails.”

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