Do people ask you how you’re feeling and you just can’t explain it?

Do you feel blank?
Do you wonder how other people can know what they are feeling?

It may be that you have something called Alexithymia, which means that you have problems feeling or explaining your emotions.

People who have alexithymia may have difficulties with expressing emotions that are what most people feel in certain situations, such as happiness at a happy event, or sadness at a sad event. They tend to focus on external things that are happening instead of their own internal world and so they might come across as being out of touch or apathetic.

Although they have trouble expressing their emotions, some do still feel them and so they may become angry or confused or have difficulty reading people’s expressions when in social situations.

They may not realise their body changes, such as clammy hands, or nervous fig as emotional responses. For example, you might have trouble linking a racing heart to excitement or fear, but are still able to acknowledge that you’re experiencing a physiological response in the moment.

Some who have Alexithymia feel less than other people, whereas others feel just as strongly however they have problems expressing their feelings.

Alexithymia is not a diagnosis but more of a subclinical symptom that can cause frustration with friends and family and in relationships. Therapy can help with understanding your emotions and with relationships and social situations.

If you think you’re having trouble with recognising or describing your feelings to others, then click on this link to download a PDF questionnaire to see if you may have Alexithymia..

Good news for those who struggle to find time to work out. Scientists have collated a decade’s worth of research to confirm that even the shortest bursts of exercise can really benefit your health.

This research review highlights how, in considerably less time, low volume HIIT can create health benefits that are on par with those stimulated by the current WHO physical activity guidelines (which recommend 150-300 minutes of moderate activity a week or 75-100 minutes of vigorous activity a week). While low volume HIIT typically involves less than 20 minutes total exercise time, the benefits can be enjoyed in as little as four minutes!

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is characterised by short bouts of high-intensity submaximal exercise interspersed with rest periods. Low-volume HIIT, typically involving less than 15 min of high-intensity exercise per session, is being increasingly investigated in healthy and clinical populations due to its time-efficient nature and purported health benefits.

One of the studies included in the review showed that four minutes of HIIT three times per week for 12 weeks significantly improved blood sugar levels and cardiorespiratory fitness in adults with type 2 diabetes, while reducing the amount of fat in the liver. These improvements were comparable to 45-minute sessions of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise three times per week.

The findings from recent trials suggest that low-volume HIIT can induce similar, and at times greater, improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness, glucose control, blood pressure, and cardiac function when compared to more traditional forms of aerobic exercise training including high-volume HIIT and moderate intensity continuous training, despite requiring less time commitment and lower energy expenditure.

References:

https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1113/JP281210

https://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/43/10/2371

Mindfulness meditation can improve both mental and physical health.

Mindfulness has become a popular way to help people manage their stress and improve their overall well-being — and a wealth of research shows it’s effective. Psychologists have found that mindfulness meditation changes our brain and biology in positive ways, improving mental and physical health.

What is mindfulness meditation?

Meditation can be defined in many ways. But a simple way to think of it is training your attention to achieve a mental state of calm concentration and positive emotions.

Mindfulness is one of the most popular meditation techniques. It has two main parts: attention and acceptance.

The attention piece is about tuning into your experiences to focus on what's happening in the present moment. It typically involves directing your awareness to your breath, your thoughts, the physical sensations in your body and the feelings you are experiencing. The acceptance piece involves observing those feelings and sensations without judgment. Instead of responding or reacting to those thoughts or feelings, you aim to note them and let them go.

Mindfulness classes and therapies might include breathing exercises, yoga and guided lessons to help you become aware of your body sensations, thoughts and feelings.

Researchers reviewed more than 200 studies of mindfulness among healthy people and found mindfulness-based therapy was especially effective for reducing stress, angry outbursts, anxiety, depression, pain, smoking, addiction, fatigue, stress in chronic pain, as well as improving physical health. Other studies have that mindfulness might boost the immune system and help people recover more quickly from cold or flu.

How mindfulness works

How could simply tuning into your thoughts and feelings lead to so many positive outcomes throughout the body? Chronic stress can impair the body's immune system and make many other health problems worse. By lowering the stress response, mindfulness may have downstream effects throughout the body.

Psychological scientists have found that mindfulness influences two different stress pathways associated with attention and emotion regulation. Psychology researchers found strong evidence that people who practiced Mindfulness were less likely to react with negative thoughts or unhelpful emotional reactions in times of stress, better able to focus on the present and less likely to worry and to think about a negative thought or experience over and over.

Reference

Article abbreviated from the American Psychological Association, Online article 30/10/19 https://www.apa.org/topics/mindfulness/meditation?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=apa-stress&utm_content=mindfulness-meditation

The Meeting of Meditative Disciplines and Western Psychology: A Mutually Enriching Dialogue Walsh, et. al., American Psychologist 2006

How to get started

Ready to give it a try? Mindfulness classes are available in yoga centers, athletic clubs, hospitals, clinics, smartphone apps and online. It can take a little while for mindfulness meditation to feel natural and to become a part of your regular routine but with practice, you may discover a powerful tool for relieving stress and improving well-being:

• YouTube has many free videos on Mindfulness for adults and children. Search for “Guided Mindfulness Meditation” and chose one. Most people start with a brief one and build up in time. Try a few to find the ones you prefer.

• Download meditations to play on your computer, tv or phone http://www.freemindfulness.org/download

• Smartphone Apps - search your phone apps for “Guided Mindfulness Meditation”

• See a psychologist to help learn Mindfulness and how to apply it to your situation.