Most of us have problems and worries that seem to never disappear. Oftentimes, we carry these burdens every time, and more often than not, we let these worries get the best of us. This turns us into gloomy and anxious people. However, as with all problems, there is a solution, and for this one it is something easy to say, but hard to do — teach yourself to have a positive outlook in life (this requires training yourself). A positive attitude may lead to less anxiety and depression.
The latest evidence comes from a new study of caregivers — all of whom had the stressful job of taking care of a loved one with dementia. The study found that following a five-week course, participants' depression scores decreased by 16 percent and their anxiety scores decreased by 14 percent. The findings were published in the current issue of Health Psychology.
The course teaches eight skills to help people cope with stress. Techniques include mindfulness and deep breathing, setting an attainable daily goal, keeping a gratitude journal and — yes, it works — performing small acts of kindness.
More details of this at NPR.
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