• Minimize Stress by Planning Ahead for the Holidays
• Prescription For Aging Well: Get Moving
• Spark Missing in Your Marriage or Relationship?
• Dear Dr. B.: College Wrestler's Dilemma
• Dr. Bedrosian Receives Award at APA Conference
• Calendar of Upcoming Events

Want to improve your long-term health and well being? As we get older, it is even more important to look closer at the mind and body benefits of exercise. The payback for only thirty minutes of your time a few days a week is immense! You can choose from a variety of activities such as running, walking, dancing, playing sports, or swimming. Talk about time well spent, below you will find just some of the known benefits of daily exercise.

• Makes you feel better
• Increases your energy level
• Strengthens your heart muscle
• Makes your bones stronger
• Boosts your immune system
• Helps maintain healthy weight
• Improves your balance and flexibility
• Reduces stress, anxiety, and depression
• Clears your head so you can concentrate better
• Helps you sleep better
• Increases your endurance so you can do more
• Helps you connect with others, when exercising with friends
• Helps in treating diseases such as arthritis, lower back pain, and diabetes

Remember, no matter what your age, it is never too late to start enjoying the benefits of exercising. Make the commitment today to take the time to exercise and invest in your future. Considering all the potential benefits, there is no better deal out there.

Top of newsletter

In this hectic and overscheduled world, it’s all too easy to take our partners for granted – especially when there are children involved who require additional energy and attention. Still, it’s important not to neglect your spouse or partner, as everyone needs to feel loved and appreciated. Small gestures can have significant impact, and don’t have to require much time, expense, or energy. Here are some suggestions to get you started:

1. Leave a note under his pillow, in his shaving kit, or in his briefcase telling him how proud you are of him or how much he is appreciated.
2. Send flowers to her at home or work for no special reason.
3. Surprise your partner with a candle-lit dinner and play some soft music to set the mood. Send the kids off with a family member or friend and disconnect yourselves from phones and computers for a couple hours. Leave the dishes for the morning.
4. Schedule a date night once a week or even once a month. Take turns planning how you will spend the night. Whether it’s a night on the town or popcorn and a video at home on the couch, it will give you both a chance to reconnect and give you something to look forward to.

While a weekend getaway at a romantic resort will often do the trick of recharging a relationship, it is not always possible, and these smaller and simpler gestures along with good communication can play a big part in maintaining a happy and fulfilling partnership.

Top of newsletter

Dear Dr. B.:
I'm a college student that received a full-boat scholarship for wrestling at a great university - something my father has pushed for throughout my high school years. It's very competitive and I have to keep my weight down so I can compete in lower weight classes. This takes some pretty serious dieting and conditioning, which I'm used to. Sometimes I go days with only drinking water and sports drinks, and when I eat, I spend hours working out until I feel like I'm going to pass out (I even did faint once, but covered for it saying I was sick). I even make myself throw up sometimes if I eat something fattening. I know this isn't good but I can't seem to stop myself from doing it, and I do feel better after. Last week, I read about a wrestler who died from doing some of the same things, and now I'm scared about myself. I can't talk to anyone about this. My coach is tough and expects us to do whatever it takes to win, and my father has never been easy to talk to - I think he just wants to look good having a son that is successful. I don't want to disappoint anyone but I also can't afford to lose the scholarship - it's the only way I can go to college because we have no money. Is there something I can read or do that will help me keep the weight off in a way that won't hurt me?

- Brian

Dear Brian:

You are right to be concerned about yourself. As a result of your efforts to compete in lower weight classes, you have begun to develop symptoms of an eating disorder. It sounds like you are not consuming enough nutrients to sustain healthy functioning. In the meantime, your workouts and conditioning drills, as well as the self-induced vomiting, are taxing your body far beyond its limits. Fainting is a sign that your health is at risk. You need to get a full medical evaluation as soon as you can. When you speak with your doctor, please also mention both the fainting spells and the vomiting.

As you have found out recently, it's easy for eating problems and other symptoms, like vomiting, to spiral out of control. Therapists who specialize in eating disorders know how to help people get their lives back in balance. You can ask your doctor to recommend a therapist, or use the resources on our site to help you find one.

I know you are under a great deal of pressure to succeed in wrestling, particularly since it is tied into your scholarship. Winning, no matter at what level of competition, should not require you to damage your health and well-being. Please remember that no one who cares about you would want you to risk your life for the sake of wrestling. Moreover, losing your scholarship does not have to mean the end of your college education. If you cannot afford to go to school full-time, you can always work and take one or two courses each semester. Although it takes longer, many students in situations like yours are able to finish their degrees this way. With all the hard work and determination you are putting into your wrestling, you are going to be successful no matter what you do in life.

Dr. Richard Bedrosian is a clinical psychologist, president and founder of MySelfHelp.com, Associate in Psychiatry at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and author of “Treating Family of Origin Problems: A Cognitive Approach”.

Send your questions for Dr. B. to info@myselfhelp.com. You will remain anonymous if your question is printed in an upcoming newsletter. We regret that we cannot answer every question we receive.

Top of newsletter

The Armenian Behavioral Science Association (ABSA) awarded Dr. Richard Bedrosian, president of MySelfHelp.com, the ABSA Achievement Award “for outstanding contributions to the behavioral sciences” at this year's annual convention of the American Psychological Association (APA) in New Orleans. Since earning his doctorate in 1977 at Miami University, Dr. Bedrosian has become widely known for his pioneering work as an author, teacher, and therapist in the specialties of family therapy and cognitive behavior therapy.

Alternatives 2006 Conference
October 25-29
Portland, OR

A Chance to Heal Foundation Presents -- Reclaim the True Beauty Within -- An evening in conversation with Supermodel Emme
November 8, 2006
Moore College of Art + Design
Philadelphia, PA

16th Annual Renfrew Center Foundation Conference for Professionals
November 9-12
Philadelphia, PA

"Enhancing Treatment with Internet Self-Help Programs"
Workshop presented by Dr. Richard Bedrosian
Annual Renfrew Center Foundation Conference for Professionals
Sunday, Nov. 12
Philadelphia, PA

Top of newsletter

To be sure that your ISP recognizes MySelfHelp.com as a trusted and reputable site, please add info@MySelfHelp.com to your address book and trusted/approved sender list.

Top of newsletter