周六(12/24) 1.廣告如何影響人心? 2.中國人怎麼愛過聖誕節?/湯圓下午3:30pm--6:00pm

板橋區文化路一段421巷11弄1號 (陽光甜味咖啡館)

新埔捷運站1號出口 旁邊7-11巷子進入20公尺 看到夏朵美髮

左轉       聚會時間下午3:30pm--6:00pm

廣告如何影響人心?

How Does Advertising Influence People?  By Amy Handlin          eHow

Advertising is an effective means of communicating information about products and services to a large number of consumers at once. This information plays a key role in educating people about different brands' functions and features, like how they work, what they cost and where they can be purchased. Because the information in ads comes directly from the manufacturer, it is more likely than secondhand reports to be verifiable and reliable. This helps buyers make choices most likely to satisfy their needs and wants.

Advertising is an effective means of communicating information about products and services to a large number of consumers at once.

Using creative techniques like direct brand comparisons, advertising can persuade people that one product will be better than another in improving their lives or delivering benefits they seek. It can often motivate them to take immediate action, like trying a new brand, redeeming a coupon or requesting more information. By calling attention to different uses for a product, advertising also encourages people to buy in bigger volume and/or more frequently than they otherwise would.

Advertising can persuade people that one product will be better than another in improving their lives or delivering benefits they seek.

Before a buyer completes her purchase, advertising can help her confirm that she is getting what she wants. Even after the transaction has been made, advertising plays a role by reminding a consumer why she spent her money and reassuring her that she made the right choice. This reassurance effect of advertising is especially important when the product was very expensive or the choice was risky. In other words, it helps to eliminate the psychological discomfort commonly known as "buyer's remorse."

This reassurance effect of advertising is especially important when the product was very expensive or the choice was risky.

By reducing a consumer's need to search for products or the stores that stock them, advertising makes shopping simpler and more time-efficient. It helps eliminate unnecessary risk-taking and facilitates easier decision-making at the point of purchase. Particularly in crowded product categories like snack foods, video games, toothpaste or shampoo, consumers rely heavily on advertising to weed out unsuitable alternatives and quickly steer them to the most promising goods.

articularly in crowded product categories like snack foods, video games, toothpaste or shampoo, consumers rely heavily on advertising.

Q:

How does advertising influence people?  

Does advertisement helps you make choices when buying something?

What are the brands you trust the most?

How to persuade people?

What makes consumers try new products?

What are the factors that influence your buying behavior?

What are the ways to truly satisfy your customers?

中國人怎麼愛過聖誕節?

How Do People in China Celebrate Christmas?

Chinese Christmas is primarily a non-religious year-end celebration heavily influenced by the Chinese interest in Western culture. Even though most Chinese people are not Christians, there are still some that celebrate the holiday by following Christian traditions.

Chinese Christmas is primarily a non-religious year-end celebration heavily influenced by the Chinese interest in Western culture.Even though most Chinese people are not Christians, there are still some that celebrate the holiday by following Christian traditions.

Decorations: In big cities of China, Chinese decorate trees, called Trees of Light, with paper flowers, lanterns and chains on public places. Chinese Christians often decorate their homes with paper lanterns and lights during Christmas,and children hang stockings made of muslin.

Church Services: Chinese Christians go to church if this religious tradition is an important part of your Christmas celebration. Midnight Mass is popular with the small Catholic population.

Store Santas: In order to promote their Christmas goods, a lot of men dressed as Santa and waitresses wearing Santa hats, distribute candy to shoppers and children.

Gift Giving: when the Chinese wrap gifts, they look for happy colors, such as red, pink or yellow. White, blue and black are mourning colors that should never be used for wrapping there.They should never be covered in wrapping featuring birds, which are a symbol of death in Chinese culture.In China, a recipient traditionally reacts to Christmas gifts.Gifts are exchanged with loved ones to show love and care for one another. And they will say" Merry Christmas "

Q:

How do people in Taiwan celebrate Christmas?

How do you celebrate Christmas?

Why is Christmas so popular? Why people like holidays?

Do you know about the Christmas Traditions?

Do you decorate your house on Christmas season?

Why gift giving makes us happy?

Christmas is shopping season, do you like go shopping?

冬至與湯圓

The Dōngzhì Festival and Tangyuan

To Taiwanese people, the festival in winter also plays a very important role. It is also a tradition for Taiwanese to eat tangyuan on this day. They also use the festive food as an offering dish to worship the ancestors.

In an interesting twist, in accordance with ancient Taiwanese history, many people take some of the tangyuan that have been used as offerings and stick them on the back of the door or on windows and tables and chairs. These "empowered" tangyuan supposedly serve as protective talismans to keep evil spirits from coming close to children.

In addition to following some of the customs practiced on mainland China, the people of Taiwan have their own unique custom of offering nine-layer cakes as a ceremonial sacrifice to worship their ancestors. These cakes are made using glutinous rice flour in the shape of a chicken, duck, tortoise, pig, cow, or sheep, and then steamed in different layers of a pot. These animals all signify auspiciousness in Chinese tradition.

Read More 看完整內容

週四 (12/22)1.人生低潮不放棄2.一粒就懂你要什麼！「數位藥丸」

板橋區文化路段421巷11弄1號 (陽光甜味咖啡館)

新埔捷運站1號出口 旁邊7-11巷子進入20公尺 看到夏朵美髮院  左轉     PM7:00--9:30

人生低潮不放棄

Don’t Give Up When Life Gets Hard      healthylifestylesliving

Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.- Dale Carnegie

I know you’ve been fighting so hard to make ends meet, to keep yourself going when things just don’t seem to be working out. Yes life may well be proving unbelievably frustrating at the moment but you try so hard not to let it get you down. It’s important to remember how far you’ve come. So that you never give up.

Many of you live from day to day with unrelieved pain. You suffer at times with mental and emotional torment. For too many this takes up a large, unbearable part of your life. And you feel there is no getting away from it.

    Don’t give up. There are too many nay-sayers out there who will try to discourage you. Don’t listen to them. The only one who can make you give up is yourself. – Sidney Sheldon

Give Up is defined as the loss of hope, admitting defeat and the act of surrendering with no will to fight again. Life is filled with so many challenges. You’ve got to constantly regain control of your emotions and stay on top of each situation despite its difficulty. But you can do it!

    Nothing could be worse than the fear that one had given up too soon, and left one unexpended effort that might have saved the world.- Jane Addams

At some point on your life journey you get to the point where you feel like giving up. Often it feels like life has thrown you into the deep end yet you can’t swim. You find yourself in crushing situations that you don’t know how to get through. But never give up, because you don’t know when you are reaching the point where you are just about to make that break through.

    Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time. – Thomas Edison

We all have our fair share of good days and bad days, days when we feel more certain than others. You have to understand that you are the one who ultimately dictates how you react to situations.

Be a warrior, don’t give up on life, face your challenges and stay strong. Understand you can’t change the past, because it’s already happened. Yet you can design your future by dealing with the current challenges of life positively.

You can face those challenges by taking a single new step every day. Just don’t give up. Be proud of what you have already achieved. Congratulate yourself for the achievements you have already made.

Q:

What do you do when you find everything going wrong in life?

How to get through tough times?

How to encourage yourself when life gets hard?

What are the most of the important things in life?

How to control your emotions in any situation?

Why you should keep trying?

How to face your challenges and stay strong?

一粒就懂你要什麼！「數位藥丸」

British Airways could serve passengers 'digital pill' to monitor in-flight happiness   telegraph.co.uk

British Airways could soon serve passengers a “digital pill” so it can monitor their stomach acidity levels and change their in-flight dining options accordingly.

This is just one way the British flag carrier thinks having fliers swallow an “ingestible sensor” could help improve their travel experience.

The pill would be one part of a myriad of sensors, including temperature, sleep phase and heart rate, that the airline would use to check on a passenger’s physiological state through a flight and manage their sleep times, meals and in-flight entertainment usage.

The system “for controlling the travel environment for a passenger” has been explained in a patent application filed to the Intellectual Property Office earlier this year.

“What is desired is a system that facilitates greater efficiencies within the aircraft travel environment and enables improved control and personalisation of the passenger’s travel environment, in particular for enhanced passenger wellness and wellbeing when flying,” the application says.

It cites a “Jet Lag Fighter” app from Virgin Atlantic that allows users to enter personal data to acquire a programme to alleviate jet lag as a similar approach to customer wellbeing in the industry.

British Airways reckons that by using data from a number of sources it can best understand how to manage a passenger's sleeping, eating, stretching and entertainment preferances on flights. The sensor could help tell whether a passenger was “awake, asleep, hungry, nervous, hot, cold [or] uncomfortable” - and inform crew.

Of the “digital pill”, technology developed in the last few years, BA’s patent said: “Digital pills or other ingestible sensors, that detect internal temperature, stomach acidity and other internal properties and wirelessly relay this information outside the passenger’s body.”

Lighting, seat position and air conditioning are other “environmental conditions” that could be altered according to information from the sensor.

The idea is that it would save the passenger from entering data manually.

According to the patent application, BA wants to create an app that helps aids passengers’ entire travel experience, from leaving their house or work, through the airport and flight, to their onward journey.

A spokesperson for British Airways told the Standard: “We are always looking to deliver new innovations for our customers, whether it be in design or digital transformation. As such, we develop many ideas and submit many patents.”

Q:

What do you think about the 'digital pill’?

Do you really want that someone know what you are thinking?

Is there a mind reading machine?

What are the new app functions?

Sharing your travel stories with friends?

List of pros and cons of technology?

What do you think of the customer service in Taiwan?

一粒就懂你要什麼！ 英航提供「數位藥丸」

不久的將來，英國航空將提供乘客「數位藥丸」（digital pill）的服務。待乘客把藥丸吞下肚，空服員就開始監測他們腸胃道的ph環境，加以調整客人的機內用餐選擇。而這，僅是這家英籍航空公司試圖讓乘客吞下感測器後，想出的其中一種運用方式。不管如何，他們相信這樣可以讓乘客的旅行經驗更美好。

藥丸只是各式監測儀的其中一小部分，其他監測還包含體溫、睡眠周期、心率等。英航希望藉由了解乘客的生理狀態，可以準確掌握他們的睡眠時間、餐點需求、機上娛樂取向。

「我們希望藉由這套系統提升機上服務的水準，為客人打造客製化的旅遊環境，」監測系統研發團隊向英國智財辦公室提出的專利申請書上如是說。

申請書上更引用維京航空的「時差戰鬥機」（Jet Lag Fighter）APP作為客製化服務的例證。用戶只要輸入個人資訊、行程細節到APP上，這套應用程式就會作出適當建議，用戶可以根據建議調整、訓練自己的身體來適應新的時區，提升旅遊品質。

而目前，英國航空構想的監測系統可以反應，乘客是「醒著、睡著、飢餓、緊張、熱、冷、或不舒服」，一有狀況就通知機組員。

關於「數位藥丸」，這項近年來才開發出的嶄新科技，英國航空的專利師表示：「數位藥丸或其它可吞的感測器，會偵測體內溫度、腸道酸鹼性及其他身體數據，同時無線傳輸資訊到乘客體外。」此外，機內燈光、座椅姿勢、空調其他環境因素也會跟著獲得的資訊調整。

這個點子是為了免去顧客手動輸入的麻煩。

長遠而言，英國航空預計研發出一套App，幫忙增進顧客的整趟旅行經驗，從離開家或工作的當下，到機場、機內服務，延伸到落地後的旅遊銜接。英航發言人表示：「我們一直在追尋更創新的服務點子。英航不停地嘗試各種企劃、申請專利。」

根據英國《每日電訊報》的報導，近來空中競爭激烈，航空業者紛紛絞盡腦汁提供更舒適的服務，相關的專利申請數量也直線上升。

例如空中巴士公司就提出要在同一層機艙內新增「夾層」，類似樓中樓的概念，增加機內空間使用。或是B/E Aerospace 公司則規劃讓座椅可以依據乘客，及前後排的乘客的身高移動、調整，讓大家都有舒適的空間伸展腿部。

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週二(12/20)1.聖誕老人打爆頭/以暴制暴OK?2.金錢家庭孰重孰輕?

板橋區文化路段421巷11弄1號 (陽光甜味咖啡館)
新埔捷運站1號出口 旁邊7-11巷子進入20公尺 看到夏朵美髮院  左轉     PM7:00--9:30

Billy upload 這篇文章是聽到有段對話 很有意思~

A: 暴力是無法解決事情的

B: 你去回顧過去的歷史 許多大事是用暴力解決的!

聖誕老人打爆頭/以暴制暴OK?

Santa Claus beat up a child molester

A man working as Santa Claus in a Wisconsin mall beat up a child molester after a child confided that her stepfather had been "touching" her.

    Greendale, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As busy shoppers rush around buying Christmas gifts for their loved ones inside the giant Southridge Mall, a group of men are being arrested by mall security and local police for affray.

    But this was no normal scuffle between gangs or a skirmish over the last iPads in stock before the big day. The fight involved SANTA CLAUS and his elves. Well, a mall Santa and his dwarf colleagues, at any rate. They weren’t fighting among themselves, though. They were beating the cr*p out of a CHILD MOLESTER.

    66 year-old Nicholas Cooper was taken into custody for assaulting Kris Kane, 38, after an unnamed young girl confided in him. She said that she ‘wanted to tell Santa a secret’ and that ‘all she wanted was for her stepdad to stop touching her at night’.

Are there cases where violence is necessary?    debate.org

Of course violence is necessary!

What would you do if a terrorist started punching your loved one? Would you just watch your loved one die? Or would you start attacking the terrorist? Of course, you will start attacking the terrorist, because you do not want your loved one to die, right? Well, that's what I mean. You need violence to solve problems, even though you are a soft person who faints in the sight of blood, you just need to man up and defend yourself. See, violence is necessary, but not all the time though.

Violence is never justified

"Love your enemies." "Turn the other cheek." "He who lives by the sword shall die by the sword." The lessons from the New Testament are clear: violence is always wrong, even in self-defense. Usually if someone is threatening you it's because he feels threatened himself; if you make it clear you're no threat to him he'll probably stand down. And in the few cases where he doesn't, it's much better to die knowing that you have refrained from violence than to live knowing that you have hurt or killed another person.

Q:

What do you think this news reported that Santa Claus beat up a child molester?

What do you think about child molesting?

What do you think about Santa Claus and Christmas?

Do you think we need violence to solve problems?

How to calm yourself when going to fight?

What do you think this quotation "love your enemies."?

How to do self-defense if someone was attacked you?

金錢家庭孰重孰輕?

Why Is Family More Important Than Money?  by Scott Thompson

Having enough money to feel secure and live a comfortable lifestyle can unquestionably contribute to your overall sense of well-being, but it can't compare to having a close connection with the people you love most. If you don't pay enough attention to money it can lower your quality of life, but if you pay too much attention to money it can damage your relationship with your family because you lose out on time and connections with them.

Happiness isn't a very easy word to define, because different people want different things out of life. Some people are more interested in having fun, some in achieving a personal goal and some in building strong connections with other people. Some people are so focused on making money that they would even consider it more important than their family and friends, according to a survey commissioned by Skrill, a money transfer company. However, prioritizing money won't necessarily make you feel better on a day-to-day basis. According to a survey of 136,000 people from 132 different nations conducted by Gallup and led by a University of Illinois professor emeritus of psychology, there was a link between money and life satisfaction, but there was not a very strong link between money and positive feelings and enjoyment of life.

Money Matters

Though family connections enrich people's lives immeasurably, humans being the social creatures they are, money does still matter. If you don't have enough money to consistently cover your expenses, prepare for emergencies and save for the future, you're likely to experience enough anxiety and stress to undermine much of the happiness you get from other aspects of your life. In an article for PsychCentral, Mary Jo Rapini, a counselor and therapist, points out that couples who are struggling financially often see an increase in arguments and frustrations with each other, which can lead to breakups.

Family and Friends

Assuming your basic needs are being met, relationships with other people have a much larger effect on quality of life than money does. The Gallup poll, which was published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, found that the support of family and friends had a significant impact on emotional well-being, while money had only a minimal effect. People who feel well-liked and respected by others also tend to be happier, as do those who feel they have some control over the circumstances of their lives.

Money, Marriage and Materialism

Another study, conducted by Dr. Jason Carroll at Brigham Young University, found that too much emphasis on money and material possessions was correlated with depression and anxiety. People who were more materialistic also tended to make worse financial decisions, such as buying luxury items on credit. Married couples who emphasized their relationship more than money were not only happier, but also tended to be more financially responsible.

Q:

Is money important?

Why is family more important than money?

“If you don't pay enough attention to money it can lower your quality of life”

What do you think about this saying?

Is it easy gain happiness?

Do you think money is a factor that leading couples to breakups?

What do you think about luxury items and materialism?

Why family and friends have a significant impact on emotional well-being?

Read More 看完整內容

周六(12/17) 1.聖誕節做利他的好事2.禁用塑膠袋做環保 下午3:30pm--5:30pm

板橋區文化路一段421巷11弄1號 (陽光甜味咖啡館)

新埔捷運站1號出口 旁邊7-11巷子進入20公尺 看到夏朵美髮

左轉       聚會時間下午3:30pm--5:30pm

聖誕節做利他的好事

Why Christmas is the perfect time for a good deed

By Jonathan Hoban, integrative psychotherapist

The daily grind of working modern life can sometimes force us into a state of tunnel vision where our true beliefs and all that we hold close to our hearts is lost around its periphery.

This changes at one time of the year - Christmas - when we are reminded of the power a kind gesture, word, loving action or connection can have upon another.

Simple actions of altruism can be life changing for those who lack the acknowledgment from their community or society and remain invisible to others for the rest of the year. It can also have a profound effect on those who behave altruistically.

Altruism is not about grand gestures

I want to make it clear that altruism does not need to be a grand gesture for it to have meaning.

You may choose to invite a stranger for Christmas lunch or give up your day to work in a charity kitchen. You may give out socks to homeless people. Perhaps members of a club or church donate a gift to give to an old person or underprivileged child in the community and accompany it with a note of goodwill.

A single loving action like this towards another person, can suddenly remind us of who we are, what we believe in love and the importance of 'love and kindness'.

It can remind us why we all need to feel that connection with another human being and free us from internalised thought processes, selfish and self-serving behaviour that is more often than not makes us feel more isolated, self-important and trapped within ourselves.

Volunteering at a soup kitchen for the homeless

Julie N, from North London said: "Last year was the first year I helped Shelter during the Christmas period since I felt it was time to give something back to others who were struggling on their own."

    "The connection we were all able to make with each other was truly wonderful and very moving. Many people from all walks of life, with different histories who felt at times estranged from life, were together celebrating as a community. It reminded me about the importance of reaching out and the power a kind word or sportive action can have."

    Matthew from Wimbledon said, 'I made a decision to become more of a part of my community when I moved here in 2014. I think I literally waited for 2 years expecting the community to come to me, before I realised it was down to me to start connecting with my locals and see where I could be of service in the community. It's great to walk down the street and people say hello, but to be honest I now prefer the act of being kind, thoughtful and giving without expecting any comeback from it. Who'd have thought it!'

Feel good hormones released

Those who are more altruistic will also produce far greater levels of dopamine, oxytocin and endorphins the 'feel-good' hormones which are vital and highly beneficial to our mental wellbeing.

I asked three people randomly in the street if they had ever done a selfless good deed, and how it left them feeling.

All three realised that even though their actions weren't solely to promote their own sense of well-being - on reflection they recognised just how positively it had promoted their mind set – and remained significant in their memories.

Christmas nap

Being more altruistic at Christmas time challenges the secondary, selfish belief systems we subconsciously construct during the rest of the year without knowing, and transports us back to a world where human connection and simple positive actions take priority.

Altruism and giving up power

Being a little more altruistic challenges our perception of status and power when we connect on one level, person to person. It can smash down the boundaries of diversity and remind us the power and profound affect listening, being present, showing concern, love and empathy can have upon another person.

    Try to be more mindful of other people's feelings other than your own. Take yourself off centre stage for a while.

    Ask how you can be of service to another person, at work at home, or to a stranger.

    Remember someone who has helped you in the past, give them a call and ask them how they are doing or if they need any help.

    Ask complete a stranger how they are doing and truly listen to their response without constructing your immediate reply.

    See which charities need support or an community event that needs support in your local area.

Q:

Why Christmas is the perfect time for a good deed?

What are the good deed you do recently?

What do you think about altruism?

Why you feel good after doing good deeds?

How to strengthen the connection with each other?

禁用塑膠袋做環保

Ban on free plastic bags to be expanded By Matthew Strong, Taiwan News

        TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Plastic bags at seven categories of small shops selling products like medicine, books, drinks and pastry will no longer be free beginning from 2018, the Environmental Protection Administration said Friday.

        The policy of limiting the use of plastic bags began in 2002 but only covered supermarkets, department stores, shopping malls, schools, convenience stores and fastfood chains.

        An expansion of the ban on handing out free plastic bags to customers would take effect on January 1, 2018 and be valid for an estimated 70,000 outlets, reports said. The EPA said seven categories of shops would fall under the new restrictions, including bakeries, launderettes, stores selling drinks, books and stationery, photography and telecom equipment, medicine, and medical appliances.

        The shops would still be allowed to sell plastic bags to customers, and would be free to set prices themselves, the EPA said. Recycling would have to be emphasized, while regulations limiting the thickness of the plastic used for the bags would reportedly be abolished.

        The EPA promised that before the new measure was introduced, it would hold hearings to address eventual suggestions and differences of opinion.

        Since Taiwan began with a partial ban on the handing out of free plastic bags in shops, several other countries followed its example.

Q:

What do you think the news report that banning on free plastic bags?

How to protect our environments?

How to deal with plastic garbage’s?

Read More 看完整內容

週四 (12/15)1.快樂的習慣2.擔心緊張影響身體

板橋區文化路段421巷11弄1號 (陽光甜味咖啡館)

新埔捷運站1號出口 旁邊7-11巷子進入20公尺 看到夏朵美髮院  左轉     PM7:00--9:30

快樂的習慣

Harvard Research Reveals Habits That Will Make You Happy

Choose your friends wisely. According to Harvard, the most important external factors affecting individual happiness are human relationships. So if you want to be happy, choose to be around people who are optimistic, who appreciate you as you are, and who can make your life richer, bigger, more fun, and more meaningful.

Cultivate compassion. When we try to step into other people’s shoes and understand a situation from another’s perspective, we’re more likely to handle the situation with compassion, objectivity and effectiveness. There will be less conflicts and more happiness.

Become a problem solver. Happy people are problem solvers. When they encounter a challenge in life, they don’t beat themselves up and fall into a depressive state. Instead, they face up to the challenge and channel their energies toward finding creative a solution. By becoming a problem solver, you’ll build up your self-confidence and your ability to accomplish whatever it is you set your mind to – and whatever challenges life throws your way. The result? You’ll have more happiness in your life.

Do what you love. Since we spend over one-third of our adult life working, loving what we do has a huge impact on our overall happiness. It’s one of life’s greatest blessings to find a line of work that we’re deeply passionate about and that utilizes our greatest gifts. If this is not possible at the moment, then try to find enjoyment and meaning in your current work, or cultivate a hobby that involves doing something you love.

Laugh often. Laughter is the most powerful anecdote to anger or depression. Research has shown that the simple act of curving the corners of your mouth can increase your feeling of happiness. So don’t take life too seriously. Try to find humor and laughter in life’s everyday struggles.

Say thanks often. Always be appreciative of the blessings in your life. And it’s equally important to express your appreciation to those who’ve made your life better in some way, big or small.

Focus on what you’re doing. When you put your mind, heart and soul into what you’re doing, you’re creating a happiness state – called the “flow.” When you’re living in the flow, you’re less likely to care about what others may think of you, and less bothered by things that are not that important. The result? More happiness, of course!

Be optimistic. For happy people, the glass is always half-full. If your tendency is to imagine the very worst-case scenario every time you face a challenge, then train yourself to reverse that tendency. Ask yourself what good can come out of the situation or what you can learn from it. Optimism surely fuels success and happiness.

Love unconditionally. No one is perfect. Accept yourself for all of your imperfections. And do so for others. Loving someone unconditionally does not mean that you need to spend all your time with them or help them figure out their problems. Unconditional love means accepting people as they are, and allowing them to find their own ways, at their own pace.

Q:

What are the habits that will make you happy?

How to choose your friends wisely?

How to become a problem solver?

How to do what you love?

What are the benefits of laughing? 

How to be optimistic?

How to love unconditionally? 

擔心緊張影響身體

How worrying affects your body

Worrying too much can lead to physical problems, and can affect appetite, lifestyle habits, relationships, sleep and job performance.

What is anxiety?

Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress. Ongoing anxiety, though, may be the result of a disorder such as generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder or social anxiety. Anxiety disorders are common and according to the NHS, approximately 1 in 20 people is affected by generalised anxiety disorder at some stage in their life. Anxiety manifests itself in multiple ways and does not discriminate by age, gender or race.

Stressful events such as an exam or a job interview can make anyone feel a bit anxious. Sometimes a little worry or anxiety is helpful. It can help you get ready for an upcoming situation. For instance, if you’re preparing for a job interview, a little worry or anxiety may push you to find out more about the position. Then you can present yourself more professionally to the potential employer. Worrying about an exam may help you study more and be more prepared on exam day.

But excessive worriers react quickly and intensely to these stressful situations or triggers. Even thinking about the situation can cause chronic worriers great distress and disability. Excessive worry or ongoing fear or anxiety is harmful when it becomes so irrational that you can’t focus on reality or think clearly. People with high anxiety have difficulty shaking their worries. When that happens, they may experience actual physical symptoms.

Can excessive worrying and anxiety cause a stress response?

Stress comes from the demands and pressures we experience each day. Long queues in shops, rush hour traffic, a constantly ringing phone or a chronic illness are all examples of things that can cause stress on a daily basis. When worries and anxiety become excessive, chances are you’ll trigger the stress response.

There are two elements to the stress response. The first is the perception of the challenge. The second is an automatic physiological reaction called the “fight or flight” response that brings on a surge of adrenaline and sets your body on “red alert”. There was a time when the “fight or flight” response protected our ancestors from such dangers as wild animals that could easily make a meal out of them. Although we don’t ordinarily encounter wild animals we need to run from today, dangers still exist. They’re there in the form of a demanding co-worker, a colicky baby or a dispute with a loved one.

Can excessive worrying make me physically ill?

Chronic worrying and emotional stress can trigger a host of health problems. The problem occurs when fight or flight is triggered daily by excessive worrying and anxiety. The fight or flight response causes the body’s sympathetic nervous system to release stress hormones such as cortisol. These hormones can increase blood sugar levels and triglycerides ( blood fats) that can be used by the body for fuel. 

Q:

How worrying affects your body?

Do you have sleep and job performance problems?

Does modern life style make us stressful?

What are the factors that causing stress?

What to do when you were worked a stressful job?

What are the ways to eliminate stress at work?

How to stop worrying: self-help tips for relieving anxiety, worry?

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