More Pictures from England

This one is from Wales, actually -- Danywenalt, near Brecon Beacons National Park (photo by our student, Marshall):This is the Durdle Door, in Dorset on the Jurassic Coast (photo by Bentley):

Here we are early one morning at Stonehenge:

This is the Tennyson Monument on the Isle of Wight (photo by Marshall):

Here is one of the Roman Baths, in Bath (photo by Bentley):

and a guard at the Tower of London (photo by Marshall):

We had a great time but we're glad to be home.

Photos of Where We've Been

...with the BYU students:

Loch Lomond - the students climbed Ben Lomond:

We visited the Ruthwell Cross, an Anglo-saxon cross about which the ancient poem "The Dream of the Rood" was written:

In the Lake District, we stayed at Wastwater, after which the students climbed over the Scafell Pass:

We visited the Castlerigg Stone Circle in Keswick:

We visited the Wordsworth houses (this is Rydal Mount):


and Brantwood, the home of John Ruskin on Coniston Water:

Brantwood gardens are lovely:

Now we are crossing the Yorkshire Dales and moors. Next stop is Haworth, home of the Brontes.

Edinburgh

We are finally here in Scotland. Here is a photo from our walk yesterday to Edinburgh Castle. It took me a few days to get my phone system figured out, but I think I can check messages fairly regularly now. I hope everyone is enjoying the spring as much as I am, but possibly getting a little more sleep!

Chicago

On our way to the UK, we are stopping to visit our daughter and her husband in Chicago. Here's a photo of the city coming in from the airport on Highway 94.

Ten Techniques for Increasing Happiness

Inspired by Dr. Martin Seligman’s Positive Psychology

1. Keep a gratitude list. Write in your journal or therapy notebook three things every day that you are grateful for, that went well, or that make you happy. For an added bonus, share the daily list with a loved one.

2. Write a letter of gratitude to an important person in your life, and share it with them in person. Do it again with another person who means a lot to you.

3. Practice secret acts of service and kindness. Be as unobtrusive but effective as possible. Begin by doing one per week and work up to once daily.

4. Reframe setbacks as challenges and opportunities rather than as defeats. This may be something to practice with your therapist.

5. Pursue a challenging hobby or avocation. Make time for the interest that you gave up long ago—it may truly improve your life.

6. When speaking with your spouse or loved ones, practice active, constructive (that is, engaged and truly listening) responding. Don’t just say “uh-huh.” Listen and comment in supportive ways. Soon you’ll find them reciprocating as the relationship improves.

7. Try writing your own legacy. How do you want to be remembered?

8. Learn to savor life as it happens. Practice being in the moment, enjoying the sensory details of the world we live in, and your own physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual response. Do brief meditation/mindfulness moments throughout your day.

9. Be socially active. Seek out the company of others regularly. Even if it’s hard at first, it will give a boost to your mood.

10. At this web site: http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/Default.aspx try the VIA Signature Strengths Questionnaire (scroll down to the middle of the page). You have to register, but you can make up a name and email address if you’d rather not leave your own.

The "As-If" Exercise

Imagine that one morning you wake up OK. The struggle has been successful, the battles won, the changes made, there is nothing more to feel guilty about or to berate yourself for. You truly deserve love, satisfaction, success, respect, and all the good things in life. This may take some time to fully imagine. Don't be in a hurry. Feel it all the way inside. How would things be different if you were just fine right now?

My emotional state:

My view of myself:

My personal habits:

My relationships and the way I behave with others:

My plans for the future:

What I would do just because I wanted to:

Why I can't act and feel this way now, what's stopping me:

At least one thing that I can do right now:

At least one positive way that I can feel or believe about myself:

Types of Relaxation Exercises

JACOBSONIAN RELAXATION (tense/relax):

The most basic type of relaxation, this exercise is based on the fact that the resting state of muscles after contraction is less tense than before contraction:

Separate muscle groups are tensed and relaxed in turn, in conjunction with breathing. The muscle groups are chosen systematically (i.e., from head to foot or vice versa), and the same routine is followed each time. Although they may be modified, general procedures are as follows:
1. Begin by being aware of breathing. Take several deep breaths (slowly, so as not to hyperventilate).
2. On a deep inhalation, hold the breath and tense the muscle group for a slow count of five. Upon exhalation, release the tension.
3. Take another slow deep breath (without holding), and release residual tension.
4. Breath in a normal, less deep manner for at least two breaths before tensing again.
5. Repeat at least once for the same muscle group.

The muscle groups should be as small as possible--shoulders, upper arms, lower arms, and hands, for example, rather than just "arms". Right and left sides should be done separately. Some muscle groups should be tensed in more than one way. The mouth can be opened wide or tightly shut; the hands can be balled into fists or splayed open; the stomach can be sucked against the backbone or tensed (as if a bowling ball were going to fall on it); the feet can be flexed or extended. Thoroughly done, this exercise can take several hours. Shortcuts are ok, of course.

DEEP MUSCLE RELAXATION

This exercise is very similar to the Jacobsonian technique, except there is no deliberate tensing of muscles. The breath is not held, but the person relaxes separate muscle groups on exhalation, again moving in a systematic manner throughout the body. Be sure to repeat the relaxation at least 2x per muscle group.

AUTOGENIC TRAINING

This exercise involves self-suggestion and the autonomic nervous system. At one time believed not to be under voluntary control, studies have found that para- and sympathetic functioning is actually quite amenable to conscious intervention.
1. Find a comfortable reclining position.
2. Scan the body for tense or uncomfortable areas, and adjust position or consciously relax that area.
3. Internally repeat the following phrases, allowing at least ten seconds between repetitions and at least ten repetitions per phrase:
My breathing is smooth and rhythmic.
My heartbeat is slow and regular.
My stomach is calm and relaxed.
Warmth is flowing into my right arm and hand.
My right arm and hand are heavy and warm.

Repeat the last two phrases for left arm and hand, right leg and foot, left leg and foot. Then repeat the entire procedure. People can increase the temperature of their extremities by several degrees because of the increased blood flow to the arms and legs. They can actually lower heartrate, muscle tension, and blood pressure when using this exercise.

VISUAL IMAGERY

This exercise allows the most variability and specificity in dealing with tension and anxiety. The person should first do a short version of whichever of the above exercises is most effective, in order to achieve a state of physical and mental relaxation before beginning visual imagery.

The imagery can be as simple as the memory of a favorite relaxing place, or as complex as a detailed journey through a fantasyland, with encounters with multiple characters. It can be as short as 5 minutes or as long as an hour--20-40 minutes is optimal, in my experience. It can deal directly with real-life problems by behavior rehearsal, or speak symbolically to deep personality structures. This type of relaxation exercise is perhaps best approached with a therapist.

Comments:
The first three types of exercise can be done by individuals at home. They may find it helpful to tape record their own or their therapist's voice and then listen to the tape when relaxing, in order to achieve the passive, receptive state that best promotes relaxation. Deep relaxation can be similar to a trance state. Therapists and patients should be somewhat cautious of the statements made in any of these exercises if the person is susceptible to suggestion. Feedback from the person is very important.