Afraid of the New Virus in China?

January 22, 2020January 21, 2020 Lynette M Burrows

The outbreak of the new virus in China is a source of fear and fear-mongering. Some news sources are reliable, others are out to be as sensational and attention-grabbing as they can. Those sources don’t care if they spread misinformation or fear through their word choices. The sensationalism has caused some to be afraid of the new virus. Are you afraid of the new virus in China? I hope to cut through some of that fear for you. I’m not an expert, but I have included many links to the experts. Read the experts. Inform yourself. Be aware. Be cautious. But don’t let fear become epidemic. Where Did It Come From The illness began in Wuhan City, Hubei, China. Wuhan City is the capital of the Hubei province and an industrial and commercial hub for central China. At the confluence of the Han and Yangtze rivers, it is equidistant from the cities of Beijing and Guangzhou (Canton) (north-south) and from Shanghai and Chongqing (east-west). A major domestic and international transport hub, the city has a population of more than 11 million people. (Learn more about Wuhan City on Wikipedia or Britanica) On January 11 and 12, Chinese authorities reported forty-one cases of the illness to WHO (World Health Organization). Seven of those people are seriously ill. WHO […]

To Stress or To Sleep?

January 20, 2020 Lynette M Burrows

The demands on your time and abilities mount. Your stress levels build. You develop physical or emotional or behavioral symptoms (see my previous post Recognize Your Stress Levels). The stress and its symptoms can cause serious physical, emotional, and behavioral issues. You know you shouldn’t ignore your symptoms. But you’re stressed? How do you manage? Especially when every night you’re in a loop to stress or to sleep. The Basics Our body has some basic needs. Food. Water. Exercise. And sleep. Today we’ll talk about sleep. Why do we need sleep? How much sleep do we need? And how can we attempt to get enough sleep when stressed? Sleep We tend to think of sleep as a time when we “shut off” our brain and body. As a result, we treat sleep as the thing we do after we’ve done everything else. (Or is that just me?) But getting enough sleep every should be a priority. And it should be a higher priority when we’re stressed. The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it. Sydney J. Harris Why We Need Sleep Sleep allows our bodies to perform many important functions. The first is that sleep restores “brain plasticity.” […]

Recognize Your Stress Levels

January 13, 2020January 13, 2020 Lynette M Burrows

In 2013, I wrote a blog post called 10 Warning Signs You’re Doing Too Much. It has been my most popular blog post ever since. It’s a sign of our times. We are all under stress almost all the time. The pressure to be more, do more, have more is intense. Add to that legitimate fears about your (or a loved one’s) physical, emotional, or financial safety and your stress levels are higher. Then there are community and political stressors. Your stress levels today may not be exhausting, but tomorrow they could be. And when you live with stress every day, you may not recognize your stress levels and how they affect your life. What is Stress? In a medical or biological context, stress is a physical, mental, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension. Stresses can be external (from the environment, psychological, or social situations) or internal (illness, or from a medical procedure). Stress can initiate the “fight or flight” response, a complex reaction of neurologic and endocrinologic systems. healthline.com What Causes Stress Each one of us faces challenges every day. From traffic jams, to spills, demanding bosses, unsympathetic spouses, or life crises (relationships, financial, or health). And we […]