There are many things that can affect cognition in the normal adult. Going through life you might be presented with many things that can affect your personal cognition and recognizing these issues can help you preserve your cognitive abilities. Without the right cognitive abilities, you might not be able to fully take on life each day.

A brain injury is the number one way your cognition can be affected. Cognitive abilities are often interrupted if a brain injury has occurred. Knowing the extent of cognitive damage can help you to gain a full understanding of how you are going to repair this for the future. Brain injuries often have different levels of damage. A minor injury might not affect full cognition and there might be some rehabilitation that can improve the damage done to the brain if an injury has occurred.

Aging is another time when you can begin to see cognitive impairment. The aging process can often slow cognition over the years. This is often a subtle change and it can occur very slowly. By the time most people recognize this, there is a lot of impairment that has already occurred. There are many resources that an older person can use to improve cognitive ability as they age. This can help you to stay sharp even into the elderly time in your life.

Sleep disorders can cause problems with cognition. Sleep problems can be widespread. Many people cannot sleep at night and when they do sleep, they often wake up groggy. This can affect cognition and you might feel as though you are in a haze. This can have an impact on the things you do each day that use cognitive abilities and this can be very dangerous for some people. Instead of viewing a sleep disorder as a normal part of life, you can participate in a sleep study to see if there is a good solution to your problem.

There are many other things that can affect cognition. If you are having a hard time concentrating or doing things that were once easy for you, this can be a sign of a cognitive problem. There might be a simple medical explanation for this problem and this can be something that might be easily solved. Living with a decreased cognition is not something anyone should resolve to. Making some changes that strengthen your cognition can be one of the best gifts you give to yourself and your life.

Nathanael Eisenberg is the CEO of CogniFit, a company that develops software which measure and train cognitive abilities. We help people discover new insights about themselves and decide what to improve in their life.

The rapid growth of scientific knowledge around the brain creates new opportunities to help tackle some of the major challenges of the early part of the 21st century. Nathanael’s goal is to participate in the search of some of these additional solutions.

Studies have shown that the life expectancy of people suffering from a mental illness is on average twenty-five years less than the normal life expectancy. This statistic is staggering. It is my opinion that the shortened life span may have more to do with the treatment of the disease, rather than the disease itself. In reality, there are many reasons for the reduced life expectancy in individuals, like me, who have suffered, or are suffering, from a mental illness, including the tendency to not take proper care of ourselves. However, one less-recognized and less-discussed reason may be the inappropriate care that we are given by the very people trying to help us live long, meaningful lives.

Since the discovery of the receptors dopamine and serotonin and the role they play in our mental health, research has focused on finding ways to pharmaceutically change the levels of dopamine and serotonin in our brain. The pharmaceutical industry has the financial clout and political influence to lobby for further research and the approval of drugs for the treatment of mental illness. On the other hand, there is no monetary incentive for advancing non-pharmaceutical modes of treatment. While there is promising research being conducted to examine the causes of mental illness, such as trauma and childhood experiences, as far as treatment goes, drugs are still the king.

The use of drugs to treat mental illness has resulted in adverse side effects, physical illness and disease, thus contributing to an already reduced life expectancy. For example, eating disorders, diabetes and liver problems may result from a prolonged use of drugs to treat mental illness, leaving patients with not only the stress of having a mental illness but also having to regulate and treat new medical problems. Not feeling well both mentally and physically plays a part in the shortened life span. That being said, we as consumers seem to find ways of endangering our own health. From smoking, using extreme amounts of caffeine, and using illegal drugs as a form of self-medicating, we work against ourselves.

During my brief stint as a caseworker on the ACT team, I noticed how prominent multiple diagnosis were among the peers I served. In fact, my work ended up going beyond psychosocial rehabilitation. Much of my time was spent managing doctors-visits and sorting through medications that consumers were taking. This took away from other areas that I feel are vital to recovery, like finding employment, peer services, therapy groups and other activities that give hope and a sense of responsibility of recovery to my fellow consumers.

I am now enrolled in a class at school where we are studying portions of the brain and pathways that produce behavior and their associations with chemicals. In doing research for the class, I came across information which has given me hope on the topic of treatment. Most of the research has been related to biologically-based and epigenetically-based causes of mental illness. However, i have found that promising research is being done combining not only these two facets, but also research related to trauma and other conditions that can cause our brains to fire in a certain manner. This shows to be a very promising outlook on the future in treatment of mental illness.
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With these new innovations in research being conducted, it will be less likely that we will be led astray by false propaganda from pharmaceutical companies in regard to the treatment of mental illness. Please do not get me wrong. I am a strong believer in medications for use in helping to alleviate symptoms for the short term. However, I feel that it should be used for a limited duration while therapeutic treatments are implemented. Long-term success should not rest solely on long-term use of medications. We as consumers must accept more of the responsibility for our own recovery. This means exercise, nutrition, and avoiding bad habits which can exacerbate our mental illness and lead to physical ailments as well. It is my hope that, in the future, more attention will be given to treatments not involving long-term reliance on medicine. Until that time, where more viable treatments are afforded to us, it Is essential that we stay on the planned care, given to us by our doctors and therapist.

When there is a sudden feeling of overwhelming fear and anxiety, the condition is regarded by doctors as having a panic attack. This condition is also linked to a mental health problem called “panic disorder”. The symptoms of people having panic attacks are: a difficult in breathing (since your heart is pounding heavily); feeling dizzy; and feeling sick to your stomach. For others, they even start thinking that they’re already going crazy or they’re near dying. Looking at the symptoms, these are not very good signs. Finding ways to stop panic attacks should be a priority. When you ignore it, it may just result to panic disorders or other types of serious mental health problems.

There is no need to worry because this sickness is treatable. However, it is important that you find treatment in the onset of the condition otherwise; it will be more difficult to treat when there are other problems involved. Once you find treatment, there’s a strong chance you can reduce or eliminate your panic symptoms. This way, you can regain back the control you have on your life. Treatment is not the only thing you should look for. Try to learn as much as you can about panic disorders. Through this, you’ll be able to prepare yourself for the treatment process.

Anxiety attacks can happen when its least expected. There are cases when it strikes without warning and even for no apparent reason. There are reports that it can occur even when a person is sleeping or relaxing.

Panic attacks can happen either once or several times. There are indicated instances of repeat episodes. These recurrent attacks, according to studies, can be triggered by specific situations. It may happen during scenarios like whenever you feel trapped or endangered. Thus, even with recurrent anxiety attacks, medical experts believe that people who experience these are necessarily unhealthy because these episodes can just be a part of some other disorder which may comprise of social phobia, panic disorder or depression.

Whatever factor may be causing your panic attacks, know that there are effective ways to treat and cope with it. Doctors usually treat panic ailments the same way as panic disorders because they can be linked together. There are self-help strategies, medications and even a series of therapy sessions which are known to reduce or eliminate panic symptoms.

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

This is one highly suggested therapy option for those who are suffering from panic dilemma. This therapy is considered by medical experts as the most effective among the treatment options available for anxiety attacks and or disorder. The therapy makes use of thinking patterns as well as behaviors to sustain or trigger panic symptoms. The therapy is designed so patients can start looking at their fears in a more realistic light.

• Exposure Therapy

This is another highly suggested therapy for these attack sufferers. This therapy involves exposing attack sufferers to some or all physical sensations of panic. However, in the course of the treatment, these are done only in a safe & controlled environment. Through the process, patients can learn other healthier yet effective ways to cope with these attacks. What doctors usually do is they ask patients to hold their breath or hyperventilate. They do this because they want patients to feel similar sensations of panic. The concept is – the patients are subjected to this environment, the more they will become less afraid of their internal bodily sensations. This is noted as a good way to feel in control of your panic attacks.

• Medications

According to medical experts, medications are only used for temporary control. Through the use of medications, patients can reduce some if not all of the symptoms of their ailment, panic disorder or agoraphobia. What you need to know is that they don’t really stop panic attacks once and for all. These medications are usually given with other effective treatment options. Medications options for anxiety attacks are commonly prescribed antidepressants.

Fear is an important and useful human emotion. We all have it and it motivates us to be prepared and protect ourselves from an impending danger. Everyone knows how it feels to be afraid. Mild and reasonable fear is actually helpful, without fear you will not be careful or take the necessary actions to avoid danger. Without fear, you will not prepare for a job interview or you will not study for your school exams. Fear motivates us to strive harder and protect ourselves from danger.

When fear becomes a bad thing.

When you are controlled by fear, it is already a disorder. It is normal to be anxious while giving a speech in front of a huge crowd but it is not normal to worry days or weeks before the actual speech to the point that your fear is disabling you. Although fear is a basic human emotion, it can be a bad thing if it becomes irrational. Extreme irrational fear or anxiety can prevent a person from functioning normally in his or her everyday life. People with panic disorder suffer from an intense fear without a reasonable basis. A panic attack is accompanied by symptoms like trembling, sweating, increased heartbeat, chest pain, nausea, feeling of losing control or going crazy and feeling of unreality.

Fear or anxiety is a normal human emotion, so you cannot eliminate it but what you can do is to reduce its level to the point where it is no longer interferes with your life. Fear or anxiety no matter how intense, decreases over time but of course you need to know the best ways of dealing with irrational fear. It is important for you to know that anxiety or panic disorder is a treatable condition and there is help available.

Dealing with irrational fears

Seek professional help. Of course in dealing with irrational fear, it is best to seek professional help. A mental health doctor is trained to deal with people suffering from anxiety disorder. Psychotherapy and support groups can be very helpful. In severe cases where patients cannot deal with anxiety on their own, medications maybe recommended to address the chemical imbalance in the brain.
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Change how you think. How you think affects how you feel. Negative thoughts can result to negative feelings like anxiety. The mind and the body are connected. Changing your thinking pattern will also change the way you feel. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or CBT is a method that teaches sufferers to change their negative thoughts and their negative behavior which are the major causes of anxiety or panic attacks.

Face your fears. The common response to fear is to escape the feared situation or avoid the feared objects. If you are afraid of driving, you will avoid driving and if you are afraid of being the center of attention, you will probably avoid social situations. In dealing with irrational fear, it is important to learn how to confront or face your fears. You are aware that there is no logical basis for your fears so to overcome your fears, stop running from them and confront them.

Panic disorder is not a life threatening condition but it can greatly affect the quality of your life if left untreated. It is important to find a treatment that will work for you.

Carers of people with the likes of schizophrenia, bi-polar and other similar mental illnesses have a very stressful life in that with these illnesses the caring process can change from one moment to the next. At times it is like walking on sharp broken glass.

Most of the time the carer is left in the position of feeling that there is nothing right that they can do and often get abused for their effort as the person with the mental illness may not even appreciate the help, themselves believing that there is nothing wrong with them.

The carer will suffer from living in an extremely stressful environment, will experience extensive lack of sleep, a broken meal pattern, isolation and no ‘me time’, amongst other things. All this leads to the carer suffering from ill health in the long run.

A carer looking after a family member with a mental illness is doing so because they do not want their loved one to be left suffering with undue help which is not always provided by the health services.

Therefore the carer needs to maintain reasonable health themselves to continue in this role.

Here Are Some Strategies For Carer Self Care (and I know from experience this may seem a big ask of you at times):

· Although you are taking on the role of carer try and keep your emotions separate

· Don’t get caught up in the illness – in other words don’t always jump to the demands of the inflicted person even though they will show extreme impatience at times

· Keep in mind that a person with a mental illness is very self-absorbed, they will be thinking only of their needs so you will have to stand up for yourself and put yourself first in order to get your jobs done

· Be aware of their manipulation – the way I see it and have had it described to me is that they learn to be very manipulative as a way of coping with their illness and you are not exempt from that – in order not be manipulated ‘play their game’ and learn to manipulate back by taking on that ‘game attitude’ as this also helps you cope with the stress rather than always feel as if you are being controlled or at their beck and call

· Avoid getting into arguments by walking away – it takes two to argue and it is the self-absorption issue that causes many of them – talk about issues when the atmosphere is calm or if the person is really ill, wait for the window of opportunity where they can see reason (no matter if this takes several days)

Life as a Carer of a mentally ill loved one is surely one that is never boring. In fact, it is downright stressful to say the least. I read once (and I wish I could give credit to this person because I loved it, but cannot remember where I read it), “The life of a Carer is like drinking a cappuccino, you don’t only drink from the bubbles at the top but right down to the dregs at the bottom and taste every drop.”

Each and every Carer learns to cope in their own way as does the person inflicted with a mental illness. Some of those that become ill suffer severely and others not so severely but at the end of the day, those that take on a caring role do so because they love their family member and wish them to have the best of life that is possible.

People who may suffer from excessive shyness and social anxiety often have internal beliefs that reinforce their behavior. A common belief at the root of this social anxiety is that deep down we don’t feel like we deserve positive attention.

Instead of speaking our minds, we feel like we should cause as little disturbance as possible. Thus, we sit on the sidelines and aren’t as engaged with social activities. We remain reserved, withdrawn, and trying to blend in with the walls.

We are afraid to take up space – social space.

We do this by keeping our personalities and talents hidden from others. We don’t want people to know who we really we are, because we fear people won’t like it. Therefore, as painful as it may be to keep ourselves hidden, we prefer it – because we imagine that the alternatives are much worse.

That’s the root of a lot of anxiety. We look into the future and imagine all the bad things that may happen if we step outside of our comfort zone. And often we imagine these things as much worse than they would probably turn out in the real world.

Often the worst that can happen during a date or a job interview is that we get rejected or slightly embarrassed after making a mistake. But in our heads we act as though we are being judged by God himself. It’s rarely that serious.

The truth is not everyone is going to like you. You can’t be yourself and please everyone at the same time, and that is something you have to be willing to accept if you are going to let your authentic self shine through. Of course, even with this true, the benefits often outweigh the costs.

Right to take up space.

One benefit is when you let your personality open up, you are more likely to attract others who mesh well with you. This is far less likely (if not impossible) when you keep yourself closed off and reserved. So even though some won’t see eye-to-eye with you, there are plenty of others out there who probably share very similar interests, passions, values, and goals. The more you let your own interests, passions, values, and goals come through, the more likely you are to discover these like-minded people and begin building meaningful relationships with them. Of course, none of this can come true if you don’t give yourself the right to take up space.

The right to take up space.

As conscious beings, I think each and every one of us has a right to express ourselves. This entails the freedom to think as we want, speak as we want, dress as we want, create as we want, and act as we want (so long as it doesn’t infringe on the rights of others).

When you are at a group meeting, you have every right to share your ideas. When you are at a political rally, you have every right to stand up for your political views. When you are a musician in a band, why shouldn’t you have some say in the music? And when you are at a cafe or bar, why shouldn’t you have the right to go up to someone, say “Hi,” compliment them on their shoes, and strike up a conversation.

You may go through life thinking these things can sometimes be inappropriate, but when you have something valuable to say, you should give yourself the right to say it. That’s freedom of mind.

Ignore artificial social boundaries.

Artificial social boundaries can largely inhibit us from interacting with others in a positive way. We should try to ignore them more often – especially when we find ourselves thinking things like “John is out of my league” or “Teresa is a 10.” People are usually just people. Most of them just want to be respected and enjoy life a little. If you can provide that, you’ll have rich relationships. If you give someone respect, they will often reciprocate that respect right back to you. That’s the fundamental rule to positive relationships – ignore the unnecessary B.S.

The more you get caught in who is above or below you on the social ladder, the more you pollute your interactions. Everyone should have an equal right to be themselves and take up space. And often times you’ll find everyone has something valuable to offer (for more, see how to try to find the good in everyone).

Consequently, when you open up your ears and let others speak, they will often do the same for you. When two people are given space to express themselves, artificial social boundaries (and the social anxiety they can lead to) often evaporate.

Have you had a recent experience where seemingly out of nowhere: your heart begins to pound; you find it hard to catch your breath because of the pressure in your chest; you have the sensation that you may pass out; you feel your hands and feet tingling or going numb; you feel flushed and/or nauseous?

If so, I’m sure one of the first thoughts that went through your mind at the time were either… “Am I having a heart attack” and/or “Am I going crazy” and/or “Do I Have Anxiety”?

Since you are not in the hospital being treated for a heart attack and I doubt that you are crazy… it sounds like you more than likely had your first encounter with a full blown anxiety attack (also known as a panic attack). Those are many of the classic symptoms of an anxiety attack.

So what causes anxiety attacks? Researchers are still unsure of the exact trigger that sets off an anxiety attack. However, it is very common for anxiety attacks to happen at times in a person’s life when they are under excessive stress and pressure.

Although, the odd thing is that the anxiety attack doesn’t normally present itself (although it can) when you are given news that might cause you to feel stressed (like at the moment you are fired, or when a spouse requests a divorce etc…)

Generally many people have had an anxiety attack when they aren’t even thinking about or experience something stressful at the moment. But more often than not, the pressures of life creep up and overtake a person. Nothing in particular was the “final straw” (that they can pinpoint) that would push them over the edge into an anxiety attack.

When “pressure” or “stress” is mentioned as a factor in someone’s anxiety people always tend to gravitate towards thinking this only means negative pressure or stress. That is a misnomer. Even happy times in a person’s life such as marriage, a new baby or starting your new dream job can internally cause anxiety.

You may be surprised to learn that your body is actually in some ways doing what it was originally designed to do. It’s called the fight or flight response. The “fight or flight” response is one of the most basic and powerful actions we have. Our natural defense system against stress was very useful for the caveman when a saber toothed tiger was after him. You can see how it would be useful if a tree were about to fall on you or anything else that might present itself that makes you fear for your safety or your life. The fight or flight response is meant to help you either stand up and cope with danger, or run away from it.

With an anxiety attack though, there is no “inherent danger”. Sometimes there is no clear reason at all. But many times you can trace back your recent thought patterns and see that you’ve let thoughts run a muck in your mind of “expected danger”. Meaning that you’ve been picturing worst case scenarios.

Your subconscious mind does not know the difference between real danger or imagined or assumed danger. Your anxiety attack is merely your body trying to look after you. Your subconscious is your most primitive part of your body… it works completely on instinct rather than logic or reasoning.

Sometimes just something in your environment either consciously or subconsciously reminds you of something you associate with danger which results in an anxiety attack. Sometimes it doesn’t take much at all to trigger an anxiety attack. Have you ever accidentally brushed past a car alarm, barely touching it and it’s gone off? It’s because alarms are designed to be incredibly sensitive to protect the property it protecting. In the same way our fight or flight alarm can be like that too. We can become so sensitive that it starts up at the smallest incident and it’s difficult to stop it once its screams of protest against perceived danger have begun.

Many people will have only one or two anxiety attacks in their life time. If you are experiencing them on a regular basis and they are beginning to impede the day to day rhythm of your life, you may in fact have an anxiety disorder.

There’s no battle to fight, except of your own making! What I’m referring to is your almost autonomic response to fight your anxiety or panic attacks. Reaction to thoughts is what keeps people constantly sensitized. They become so afraid of their own reaction to the thought that they will do everything they can to fight it, to try and stop it from coming. But, this is impossible. People cannot stop that first thought from coming. Just like they can’t stop their heart beating or their hair from growing. Heck, they can’t even make themselves have a panic attack. If you don’t believe me, go ahead and try to make yourself have a panic attack, it’s impossible!

But, they can stop adding second fear. “Oh my God, I’m going crazy or losing my mind.”

This is the habit and this is what must be stopped. You’re not allowing it to “be.” If you allow it to be, it will not be so terrible, in fact, you will soon forget it. They should let the first thought flash. Leave it be, leave it unresolved and go on with whatever they were doing. Responding emotionally, and trying to figure it out is what keeps it going. This means to float through the first thought, don’t analyze it, don’t try and figure it out. STOP adding constant second fear to the thought. This is what frightens. This produces anxiety and feeds the body with an excessive outflow of adrenaline, keeping them sensitized, keeping their nerves ready to fire panic.

So what should one do?

He/She should let the first thought come. Practice floating, stop adding second fear. It’s not easy at first, they’re going to add second fear for a while and a LOT of it, because it’s their habit. They’ll even add second fear sometimes subconsciously, without noticing it. They should accept even that. They have a habit of adding fear to fear. Building their own crisis. As Dr. Weekes says, “Practice masterly inactivity.” Throw up your surrender flag. How can you fight yourself anyway?

Once second fear is stopped and acceptance is put into practice. The body can heal its sensitized state. Are you fighting your anxiety and trying to win? The word fight spells tension, someone has to win and someone has to lose. I’m asking you to completely stand down to your anxiety, let it burn itself out.