When I was in the tenth grade in high school, I enrolled into a drug abuse class. At that age, I did not realize that alcohol abuse actually was a sub division of drug abuse. While taking this class and learning more about drug and alcohol abuse, I read a lot about Alcoholic Anonymous, their meetings, how their programs have twelve steps, and how successful the Alcoholics Anonymous recovery program has been for people all through the world. I also learned a lot about alcohol rehab and the diverse alcohol rehab centers that are often available to people who engage in hazardous drinking.

Some of the damaging effects associated with alcoholism and alcohol abuse that I learned about in this class undeniably frightened me. The ruined lives and abundant problems experienced by most alcohol dependent people made me feel like I never wanted to drink alcohol when I became old enough. Stated briefly, I did not want to face the damage and destruction that alcohol dependent individuals almost always experience.

Photo by Marion Doss

Ponder upon this for a moment. What fifteen-year-old individual wants to face premature death due to his or her drinking behavior? What teenager wants to become so out-of-control regarding his or her drinking that drinking alcohol becomes the object of one’s life? What teen wants to go to one of the local alcoholic rehabilitation centers to deal with alcohol-related difficulties before he or she becomes twenty-one?

What young person wants to experience alcohol withdrawal symptoms when he or she tries to stop drinking? Why would an individual engage in drinking to such an extent that it would cause serious issues in every area of his or her life? Drinking later in life after a person has a career, a family, and develops personal responsibilities makes sense. But why would a teenager want to sacrifice his or her education, employment, finances, and relationships for a life that revolves around abusive drinking?

These issues were so important that I talked about some of them in class throughout the school year. What was downright incredible to me was the number of students who openly didn’t care about the negative outcomes of hazardous drinking that I talked about. It was almost as if they couldn’t care less about the facts and how these consequences can shatter their lives. For the first time in my life I started to comprehend a saying that my grandfather used to emphasize throughout my younger years: you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.

Separation anxiety is a disorder that supposedly occurs to children around the age of eight months to a couple of years. This situation often resolves itself when the child is assured that the parents or the object of its anxiety consistently returns.

For these children, the separation anxiety is caused by all of the new faces like teachers and classmates in their world. The overwhelming sensation of new faces can undo even the most confident child. The anxiety is often triggered when the child then learns that the parents are then going to leave them.

Treating Separation Anxiety In Kindergarten or Older

Photo by Hans and Carolyn

Separation anxiety treatment for children around early school age can be similar to treating the separation anxiety that occurred when the child was younger. When the child is about to go to school, parents can start to work to prevent separation anxiety in preschool environment. The new environment should be visited before school actually starts to familiarize the child with the school. As the child gets accustomed to seeing school children going to and from school, he might even want to go himself. A few trips to the school ahead of time can reduce the separation anxiety.

Getting over separation anxiety can also be done by introducing the child to the teacher handling the class before the school year starts. Separation anxiety is reduced by letting the child know and trust the teacher beforehand and always be there when the child is released from school. Stay positive and encouraging.

Separation anxiety can also be prevented if you introduce the child to people in a safe environment. As your child gets more and more sociable, he will get used to the fact that there are a lot of people in his life and can readily accept the presence of newcomers. The introduction to school should be a helpful time and when you bring your child to school, it should be calm and relaxed. You will want to be supportive and visible during your child’s first day of school.

Most people agree that life is more stressful than ever. For many people, stress leads to restless, and sometimes sleepless, nights. In this article, we’ll review some helpful tips on helping a person fall asleep.

How long does it take for an individual to fall asleep? That depends on a number of factors, including how tired the person is, what the person ate before they went to bed, and numerous other factors. If you have sleep problems, it might seem like hours before you fall asleep.

Insomnia means you are having a struggle to go to sleep.It also can mean that you battle to stay asleep. Most people who suffer insomnia say that they remember turning and tossing all night long or remember being awake at night. Nights when I wrestle with insomnia I just can’t seem to turn my mind off; often I can’t even close my eyes. Usually it takes me about a half hour to fall asleep, but my son is asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow.

The TV helps me fall asleep — I have it on a timer and it shuts off after a half hour.I also need total darkness, and my bedroom must be ice cold – even in summer. Admittedly, this doesn’t help save energy!

There are behavioral, or natural, treatments for insomnia. One relaxation technique is utilized by tensing different muscle groups and then relaxing them. Another method is to repeat a set of visualizations to produce a state of relaxation. My favorite visualization? Lying in the sun on a beach in the Bahamas.

Another helpful method is to associate the bedroom with sleeping only, by limiting the time spent in the bedroom for non-sleep activities.So take your computer, office, and television out of the bedroom. Also reduce the use of stimulants (such as caffeine) and avoid big meals just before bedtime; this can help reduce insomnia. One can also try soaking in a hot bath to relax, or listening to soft music before going to bed.

Melatonin is a well-known sleep aid. It is especially helpful for people who suffer from insomnia caused by jet lag or shift work. Melatonin occurs naturally in the body; this happens when serotonin is exposed to diminished light.

Other common over-the-counter sleep aids such as Sominex or Nytol can also be tried by adults but, again, a person should discuss with their doctor before taking any of these sleep aids especially if you suffer from Parkinson’s disease, or are being treated for depression or other mental health problems. But it is also buying into the mindset of turning to a pill to solve a problem which can cause problems in other areas of a person’s life.

It is advised that if you have trouble falling asleep and have tried all the natural tips in this article, then perhaps you should see a sleep management specialist. So many people have sleep problems, there is now a sub-specialty in medicine for such difficulties. Inomnia might be a symptom of another medical problem, so it is best to get a consultation with your doctor and discuss your sleeping problems with him.

But even with all the tips on falling asleep, each person must discover their own best way to fall asleep. It is important that you do, because a weary mind and body will hinder you in dealing with life’s other stresses.

If only our brains were like our computer, improving our memory would be a simple upgrade. Just buy some new hardware and you’re good to go. Unfortunately, our brains are much more complex than that. 

Think of your brain like a muscle. To build (real) muscle, you don’t just go get muscle implants, you have to exercise and provide your body with the nutrients needed to build new muscle. 

Your brain works in a similar fashion. Your brain’s “muscle” power can be built with proper exercise and nutrition. There are several ways in which your brain can be exercised, but first it’s helpful to understand exactly how your memory works.

How Memory Works

Simply put, memory is the act of recalling information that your brain has previously processed. However, the process is very complex and involves multiple components.

The major components of the brain used in memory storage and recall are:

• The hippocampus, a primitive structure deep in the brain, plays the single largest role in processing information as memory.
• The amygdala, an almond-shaped area near the hippocampus, processes emotion and helps imprint memories that involve emotion.
• The cerebral cortex, the outer layer of the brain, stores most long-term memory in different zones, depending on what kind of processing the information involves language, sensory input, problem-solving and so forth.
• In addition, memory involves communication among the brain’s network of neurons, millions of cells activated by brain chemicals called neurotransmitters.

These components are used in varying degrees depending on whether information is being stored in the short-term or long-term memory. 

The Specifics of Short-Term Memory

As its name implies, short-term memory is for short-term storage. Hence, items stored in the short term memory are generally forgotten very quickly. If read a phone number, most people would be able to easily repeat it back. However, it’s likely that you wouldn’t be able to repeat it 5 minutes later unless you gave a concerted effort to remember it. 

The average person’s short-term memory can hold around 7 items. That is why you can remember a phone number for a few minutes, but need your credit card number in front of you when ordering something.

Tips to Improve Your Short Term Memory

Brain Exercises

People are creatures of habit. When we perform tasks in the same way each time, our brain uses the same neural pathways to send the signals needed to complete those tasks. This could be the way you get dressed, the route you take to work or the way you put your makeup on.

Use Mnemonic Devices

This involves using things you are familiar with to remember things you aren’t familiar with

• Visual images - Try this when trying to remember someone’s name. Associate the face of a friend or a pleasant image with the new person’s name. Recently I met someone named Morgan. To remember their name I associated Morgan Freeman’s face with their name. For someone named “Mike” you could associate a picture of a microphone with their face.
• Create a sentence using words with a first letter that represents the list that you are trying to remember. If you were trying to remember the order of the planets – Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune – you might use “Many Very Elderly Men Just Snooze Under Newspapers.” This is often used by medical students learning muscle groups, bones and other anatomical features.
• Acronyms, which are initials that creates pronounceable words. HOMES would be an example for remembering the Great Lakes - Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior.
• Grouping information: Take a long string of information and break it up into chunks that are easier to remember. When remembering your Social Security Number, do you remember it as a 9-digit string or as a group of 3 numbers, 2 numbers and 4 numbers? 
• “Method of loci” is an ancient memory tactic that is still in use by memory experts today. This involves associating a list of items with stops or “loci” on a journey. Try associating each item on your grocery list with each intersection you drive though on your way to work. This is one of the most powerful memory techniques. In fact, Clemens Mayer, the 2006 World Memory Champion, used a 300-point-long journey through his house for his world record in “number half marathon”, memorizing 1040 random digits in a half hour.

Additional Things to Consider

Your brain requires the same things the rest of your body needs to be healthy. Things like plenty of sleep, good nutrition and low stress levels can help your memory retention and recall significantly.