Being the most common feature in our times qualified our times to be probably called an era of anxietyowing  to  its  contradictions  and  challenges,  the  lack  of  opportunities  for  self-fulfillment,  over  stress  and  poor social  relationships  and  values,  which  leads  to  a  sense  of  tension  and  anxiety  associated  with  our  inability  to predict what will happen in the future.

Future anxiety is one of the anxieties that simultaneously emerged with Toffler’s launching of the term Future  Shock  (1970);  Zaleski  (1996)  indicated  this concept  which  refers  to  a  state  of  apprehension,  fear, uncertainty  and  anxiety  of  undesired  changes  expected  to  occur  in  the  future.  This  fear  of  the  future could include a variety of anticipated threats including physical threats, such as illness or accident, or emotional threats, for example the loss of one of the family members. These threats vary in terms of severity, and future anxiety may include the individual’s fear of failure in achieving his/her goals and aspirations.

Full story at Institute of Education Sciences

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Should you Retaliate?

The key principle is to not follow through with your normal reaction of retaliating against the bully. So what can your client, child or you yourself do if you are being bullied.

Actions to Take Against a Cyber Bully

1. Is to ask yourself what evidence do I have that cyber bullying has occurred? Then to create a folder and paste into word format e-mails, internet posts, and social media posts etc. An easy way to do this is to create a screenshot of the web page and then report the bully to a trusted adult such as a parent, member of your family, teacher, or a counselor at your school.If you fear retaliation by the cyber bully, and do not report them their attacks may become more aggressive

2. Are you receiving harmful threats and inappropriate sexually focused messages? These need to be reported to the police. The cyber bullies actions can be prosecuted in a court of law
3. As you may be aware, cyber bullying can be relentless unfortunately cyber bullying usually includes several incidences. Are you experiencing attacks over a period of time? Just as the cyber bully may be relentless you also may need to be relentless. What do I mean by being relentless? You may need to keep recording all of the times that the bully has said a cyberbullying message to you. You do not need to feel that you just need to bear it.
4. How do you stop cyber bullying through communication? Here are three examples. First of all and this is pretty easy is to block their e-mail address. Secondly block their phone number from your cell phone and thirdly delete the cyber bully as a social media contact. You can then contact your internet service provider (ISP)

Points to Remember When You are Being Cyberbullied

1. Don’t be involved in the blame game regarding yourself. Remember cyber bullying is the fault of the cyber bully and not yours. Regardless of how to e-mail or blog post reads there is no reason to feel shame regarding how you feel. It is important to remember that the cyber bully is the problem and you are not.
2. Gain a different perspective. Think of this cyber bully as a very sad perhaps self-angry individual. He or she is trying to gain power over you and your feelings. The reason is they want you to feel self-hate about yourself that he or she feels about his or herself. You cannot provide them with this satisfaction by taking the steps listed
3. Do not go into your own self-hate mode. In other words beating yourself up. If you have experienced cyber bullying what increases the problem is continuing to think about it and perhaps reading and re-reading the e-mails or blog posts. If you have decided to save the cyber bullying messages for evidence, put it away in a remote folder and delete it from your timeline so you are not repeatedly reviewing the attack. Then think of the many wonderful things about yourself and accomplishments that you like and admire.

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I had a client named Joel who did not have a gambling addiction until a Casino opened up several blocks away from his home. Due to the close proximity of the Casino, Joel started to gamble and play more frequently which in turn caused him to lose larger amounts of money. Joel stated “I feel ashamed. I withdrew money from my kid’s savings and even forged my own wife’s signature on a mortgage agreement. I was so depressed I felt like committing suicide. But now I am okay.”

The Rise of Gambling

Gambling

Joel is one of the many people who have a gambling addiction. You might wonder why gambling has been steadily growing. A fraction of the reason is due to the economy. States bring in casinos to make up for their economies. Gambling gives rise to jobs and it also creates gambling addicts. Casinos may be beneficial to the economy but it is not beneficial to society. Places such as Las Vegas depend on gambling as their main source of revenue but studies have shown that there are higher chances of addicts, aggression and crimes such as burglary. Studies have shown that if states used the money spent on gambling on other things such as college education it would also benefit the economy.

Gambling and Affects on Relationships

Gambling creates damaged relationships in addition to financial debt. A client Tim, stated “My brother and I created a small business together and it was doing extremely well for several years until I let my gambling addiction take over and took the money from our company. My gambling addiction became even worse once I discovered online gambling which forced me to withdraw close to a million dollars from the business.” His brother has also not spoken to him since the incident. Tim expressed his desire to reconnect with his brother but his brother would not accept his apology. Tim’s gambling addiction damaged his relationship with his brother and also caused a promising business to collapse.

There are many others like Tim and Joel. In fact, people from all different ethnicities, ages and genders are affected by gambling addiction. However, people who have recently experienced an important life changing event such as divorce, loss of a loved one, or even unemployment are especially more likely to become addicted. Others with history of sexual abuse, neglect, addiction or mental illness are also at a higher risk of becoming addicted.

What are ways to help?

With the rise of gambling addiction, what are ways to help those affected by this problem? One way is to acquire more help for people who are addicted. There are only a very few number of states that offer councils on gambling addiction and even fewer offer treatment. Avoiding denial is also another way to help those affected. Many gamblers are unaware that they have a gambling problem or they refuse to tell loved ones out of shame or need to win more money. Some lie to themselves or they convince themselves that they are actually able to gamble responsibly when they are not able to do so. Gambling addiction is different from drug addictions due to the fact that you are unable to see or smell it on a person. While these two ways can help with gambling addictions, the government could assist in protecting society from gambling addiction. However, many are opposed to the government taking action against gambling.

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Since it appeared that Perry was doing everything right physically, we discussed possible emotional conflicts, since he was looking for an answer in this area.  Perry began to come to the conclusion that the reason for his continued decline in T-cells was his addiction to having anonymous sexual encounters and how he felt about them.  Perry stated, “I know it’s not a good thing, but it’s like an addiction.  I want to stop sleeping around, but I can’t.”  Would you agree that Perry’s anonymous sexual encounters may have been a great source of distress?

I stated to Perry, “Identifying anonymous sexual encounters as a possible factor for emotional distress is only half the battle.  Knowing you are addicted is only the first step in healing the underlying reasons for that addiction.  Overcoming addiction can take time and effort.”  Because Perry clearly wanted to begin to acknowledge and accept his feelings, I recommended he attend a Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous meeting.  At Perry’s first meeting, he was more of an observer than a participant.  But gradually Perry began to share his feelings with the group.  Perry also began to share his experiences, distress, and his guilt.

After three months of this process, Perry stated, “My T-cell count has more than doubled!!  It went from 150 to over 300!  Those meetings are the only thing I’ve changed in the last three months!  Can you believe it?”  Subsequent tests showed that Perry’s T-cell count has now climbed to almost 400.  However, Perry’s situation is not unique.  A number of other HIV positive clients have experienced major improvements in T-cell counts through what they, like Perry, feel is solely through emotional growth.

Are you treating a client like Perry? Could he or she benefit from emotional growth?

For #2  Other Techniques for Emotional Healing go to HIV/AIDS Course

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Modeling Behavior
You can help people with autism learn social skills by modeling the behaviors you’re trying to teach them. Have a role-playing session in which you guide them through a common social situation. Once you’ve walked them through it, let them try to respond appropriately on their own if possible. You might have to help them out by prompting them if they have trouble responding correctly. Make sure you keep these sessions positive and upbeat even if you start feeling frustrated at having to practice multiple times and repeat things.

Social Scripts
Write up social scripts that people with autism can use as a helpful guide when learning how to act in social situations. Keep the scripts short and easy to understand. Don’t use abstract wording or implied meanings. People with autism generally have an easier time with concrete language. Ideas for social scripts include starting a conversation and discussing their condition with others if they are comfortable doing so. When the people you’re working with become better at acting out these situations without relying on the scripts, you can stop using them.

Use Visual Representations
People with autism usually tend to be visual thinkers. You can help them learn social skills by using pictures or drawings that depict the way they should act in certain situations. You can also try using other types of visual imagery to show them how to behave. Younger children might learn a few social skills by watching carefully crafted puppet shows. Older children and adults can benefit from working with computer-based models that are designed to teach social skills.

Practice in Natural Settings
No matter which techniques you use for helping people with autism develop social skills, you should make sure that they have several opportunities to practice in natural settings. Learning from a script or through role-playing is very helpful, but they need to be able to use these skills in the outside world. Having them practice in a variety of settings can help them become more comfortable with social interactions in general. Don’t force them to practice, though, if they start feeling agitated or upset in a certain setting. This can lead them to form a negative association with being active in social situations. Try having them practice again when they’re calmer.

Join Social Groups
Group settings are an effective way to teach social skills to people with autism. These social groups provide a safe environment for them to work on improving the way they interact with others. Social group activities can help autistic individuals learn how to see things from other people’s perspectives and how to recognize certain emotions. They can also learn concepts such as sharing and cooperation.

related course:
http://www.onlineceucredit.com/ceus-online/pcs-autism/continuing-education.html

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Pace Yourself
Although you’re probably eager to get rid of your anxious feelings, don’t try to do too much at once. Taking on too big of a challenge when it comes to dealing with anxiety can lead to major setbacks. Instead, set reasonable goals for yourself. Tackle each stressful situation individually as you go about your day. Choose a few coping techniques to try during these situations. Don’t let yourself dwell on a situation once the anxiety passes.

Learn to Breathe
Relaxation is an effective way to handle anxiety. You can practice breathing to help calm you down. There are several techniques to choose from, but the most basic one involves being consciously aware of each breath you take as you inhale and exhale. This helps draw your focus toward calming yourself instead of allowing your anxious feelings to take control. You can also try other forms of relaxation such as meditation or yoga.

Practice Having a Positive Outlook
Staying focused on positive thoughts can have a big impact on your anxiety levels. Since anxious feelings thrive on negative thoughts, practice turning these thoughts into more optimistic ones. This takes a lot of effort and patience if you’re used to having a gloomy and pessimistic outlook on life. You’ll need to try it on a regular basis in order for you to successfully adopt a better view of yourself and the world around you. When you start having a negative thought, stop it in its tracks and replace it with a more cheerful one.

Focus on Solutions
Dwelling on problems instead of actively trying to solve them can make anxiety worse. It can make you feel trapped and frustrated. If you can change a situation to make it less likely to trigger anxiety, work toward doing that. For example, if your financial situation makes you feel stressed, take a closer look at it and come up with solutions. You might decide to take on a part-time job or sell some of your possessions in order to have enough money to cover your bills. You should also keep in mind that there might be problems that you can’t do anything about. If you’re worried about whether or not you impressed a new client at work or passed a test in school, you’ll have to wait and see. Worrying about it in the meantime won’t solve anything, and it will make you feel more anxious.

Put Things in Perspective
Taking a step back to look at a certain situation or life in general helps you put things in perspective. Ask yourself if your present situation will matter a month from now or five years from now. This helps you look at events that happen in a more realistic and objective way, which can help curb anxiety. What you’ll often find is that most of the things that make you anxious don’t really matter in the long run, so they’re not worth worrying about.

related course:
http://www.onlineceucredit.com/ceus-online/ax-anxiety/continuing-education.html

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Not all bullies are the same, and it is not possible to say that one solution will end all harassments. The key is to determine what type of bully one is facing. Some bullies redirect their own feelings of insecurity by victimizing others that they perceive to be outcasts, but not all bullies feel this way. Some bullies are self-assured and commit acts of harassment for vindictive or malicious reasons. It is important to identify which type of bully one may be facing as their reactions to actions like avoidance or walking away will be very different depending on their personal motives.

For small children, the advice for dealing with bullies should always be to tell an adult. Small children are extremely formative and easily influenced by their emotions and situations. By always encouraging them to tell an adult, parents are ensuring that an opportunity to correct the situation through consultation for both the bully and the victim can occur. For older children, the tell-an-adult solution is less reasonable and may actually worsen some situations although it must be stressed in any case where physical violence is involved. For tweens and teens, it is vitally important that parents give good advice for handling harassment situations in a non-escalating manner.

Parents and children should remember that movies and popular media fictitiously portray manners for dealing with bullying that can actually have disastrous results if applied to actual situations. Humiliating or physically harming a bully is never an appropriate recourse. Instead, victims must take away the psychological reward associated with harassment for the bully.

There is a target reaction that the bully wants, and they will continue to return to the victim as long as the victim continues to supply that reaction.
Teaching children that the power to overcome the torments of a bully is in controlling one’s reaction is important. Deflecting a bully’s comments can be done with simple non-emotional responses that question the integrity of the comment. The object is to diffuse the power of the harassment and not to attack the bully or to engage in physical violence.

Related course:
http://www.onlineceucredit.com/ceus-online/ttt-bullying/continuing-education.html

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