Relationship Clinic Photo

Love Is ...

Love is relational - interested in the family, friendships and human interactions of the other.

Love is intellectual - interested in how the other thinks, reasons, and processes.

Love is emotional - concerned with how the other feels.

Love is spiritual - interested in who God made the other to be and their relationship with him.

Love is physical - enjoyed by sexual chemistry and desire.

Want To Look and Feel Better?

Check out these 10 tips to help you look and feel good, no matter what your age!

1. Have a positive attitude. An upbeat outlook can keep you healthy by helping stave off illnesses, including depression. Studies show what happens to the levels of dopamine in someone's brain after 1, 2, or more hours of volunteering per week. The results? Levels as high, or higher, than levels achieved through pharmaceutical means! I love it - a natural high in your brain from moving outside yourself for an hour that stays with you for a month! Give it a try.

2. Get money-smart. If you plan to retire, estimate that you'll need between 70 percent and 90 percent of your pre-retirement income. Put together a comprehensive questionnaire that can help you identify the steps in the retirement process and practice smart financial planning. Need help with that (who doesn't?)? Ask trusted friends their recommendations for a trustworthy financial professional.

3. Learn something new every day. Crack open a book or the daily paper, or take a class at a nearby community college to help keep your mind sharp and to learn about the ever-changing world around you. Do your kids or grand kids have a hand held gaming system? Try some of the newer brain challenge games - completely programmed to stimulate your mental reaction time.

4. Let it go. Harboring resentment over long-past wrongs can hurt your health and your spirit. Write down the issue, fold it up and throw it out. Allow yourself the realization that the person being hurt the most by your angry feelings is you.

5. Get fit and stay active. It's only normal for our metabolism to slow down as we age, but that doesn't mean weight gain is inevitable. Check out The Mayo Clinic's daily calorie requirements, and stay active to help keep your muscles and joints, not to mention your frame of mind, healthy for years to come.

6. Be sun-smart. Before you go outdoors, make sure you're prepared with at least SPF 15 for your face and body. Reapply every four to six hours and protect your skin from premature wrinkles and even skin cancer. And whether your skin is dry, oily, or something in between, it can benefit from a daily moisturizer as well.

7. Stay stylish. You don't have to dress like you're 19, but having a crisp and contemporary appearance can help you feel current and fashionable. Ask a good friend to go shopping with you, and try on a few items that you feel might be too "young" for you. Even better if money's a little tight for the more expensive department stores - a local second hand or thrift store, where you can find gently used fashions at a fraction of regular prices.

8. Get involved. Building up a strong social network can be crucial to good health. To stay active and connected to your community, try volunteering or joining a social group of your interest.

9. Eat right. Saturated fats and trans fats are linked to heart disease, cancer, weight gain, and, yes, even wrinkles! Research also shows that some of these not-so-great choices in our diet can keep us from getting enough sleep! So clear your pantry and fridge of foods that you know are unhealthy and start making healthy choices at the store.

10. Sleep! A lack of sleep puts us at risk - period. From everything to an increased risk of heart disease (see tip #9), a higher risk of automobile accidents, to a 15% greater risk of premature death. Get your zzzzz's!

[from John Tesh]

Economic Issues Drive More Into Therapy

The economic crisis is putting a lot of stress on a lot of people.

WAAY 31 spoke with a clinical psychologist who says offices around the country are seeing a three-fold surge in new patients. Dr. Roger Rinn says the stress from the economy is causing trouble in marriages, friendships and just about every other relationship.

And even if you think you're allright, it can creep up on you. "We all have weakness in our ability to cope with stress" Rinn said. "As you raise the stress you end up with more problems again and you may not even be aware of it." Dr. Rinn says he hasn't seen an increase like this since 9-11.

Dr. Rinn says if you're feeling stressed out, make an appointment to talk to someone. Do not attempt to self medicate with drugs or alcohol. And check with your health insurer - you might be surprised to see how well mental health is covered thanks to some new laws.

One of the hidden portions of last year's federal bailout legislation was a law requiring insurers to provide equal physical and mental health benefits.

[Copyright 2009 WAAYTV.com. All rights reserved.]

How To Stay Happy With The One You Love

1. First and foremost, love each other. Say "I love you" often and in different ways. Do things to keep your love and romance new and alive. Don't take love for granted, ever...
2. Listen objectively to each other, and accept each other completely. Give each other the right to disagree and to have different opinions.
3. Never stop treating each other like sweethearts. Talk to each other as sweethearts and do things that sweethearts do. Don't let external values have more importance than the internal feelings of your heart.
4. Take care of each other. Put the other one first, but don't neglect your own needs either. Do the things that show you're interested in your partner's needs, desires and problems.
5. Be joyful that you've each made a committment to the other...through sickness and health and everything else. Be thankful you're in this life together.
6. Talk about things together. Refuse to say anything negative about your partner. Never betray each other's secrets. Keep your own identity, but walk together as one.
7. Settle the fact that you've made your choice and you're no longer looking for anyone else. Don't flirt. Think of the consequences. Don't consider it.
8. Be in agreement about how your money is spent. Big items should have the approval of both. Talk about how to manage your finances.
9. Treat each other as you would want to be treated. If you've argued, never go to sleep at night without asking the other's forgiveness. Be faithful about this. Do what will make you both the happiest and be the best for your relationship.
10. Have fun!

[from Howtoencourage by Kay the Encourager]

6 Ways to De-Stress at the Dinner Table

What's dinnertime like at your place?

Maybe "dinner" consists of lukewarm takeout, eaten alone in front of the TV while you surf the Internet and answer email. Or perhaps the eat-and-run dinners you share with your spouse or partner barely leave you time to say "hello" and "goodbye" to each other. Or maybe your kitchen is starting to resemble a fast-food restaurant, with family members coming in and out and grabbing a bite between activities.

While the dinner hour once represented a calm oasis from the day's storm, experts say today it's often anything but relaxing.

"We're hurried, we're harried, we've turned up the volume of our lives to such a high number that we often can't even see how stressed we are. And we almost never see how we bring that stress to the dinner table, a place where traditionally we sought relaxation and comfort," says Mimi Donaldson, a stress and time management expert.

With blaring TVs, ringing cell phones and "You've got mail!" chiming in the background, in some homes the dinner hour is every bit as stressful as the rest of the day, says Donaldson, co-author of the book Bless Your Stress: It Means You're Still Alive.

"When you add in sibling rivalry and a dose of parental discipline, mealtime can quickly become a combat zone that nobody wants to enter," says Donaldson.

If you're thinking all this doesn't matter much, think again.

Recent research at Columbia University found that children who regularly had dinner with their families are less likely to abuse drugs or alcohol, and more likely to do better in school. In fact, studies show the best-adjusted children are those who eat with an adult at least five times a week, says Ann Von Berber, PhD, chair of the department of nutrition sciences at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth.

"Many studies support the importance of family mealtime in decreasing the incidence of teens who smoke, drink alcohol, participate in sex at a young age, start fights, get suspended from school, or commit suicide," says Von Berber.

And kids aren't the only ones who benefit from a peaceful repast. Experts say that couples as well as singles reap benefits when mealtime is a relaxing experience.

"It's not only better for the soul and spirit to dine quietly and slowly -- even if you're alone -- but it's also good for the digestion," says Loren Ekroth, PhD, a former family therapist from Las Vegas who is the founder of Conversation-Matters.com.

Of course, knowing we should relax at dinnertime is one thing; actually doing it is something else. To help you get started, our experts offered six guidelines for creating a mealtime experience everyone will look forward to.

READ MORE

[By Colette Bouchez, WebMD]

Divorce is Never an Easy Way Out of Marital Problems

God certainly did know what He was doing when He commanded us to take our marriage vows seriously, and not flee at the first sign of trouble. Jesus said, "Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate" (Mark 10:9).

Why does God take marriage so seriously? One reason is because He loves us and wants what is best for us - and He knows that casually walking away from our marriage is never best. Admittedly every marriage has its problems, but it's far better to face them and work through them than to end up in divorce court. This isn't always possible, I know, but I am convinced that with God's help most marriages can be saved.

The alternative is often a bitter harvest of anger, loneliness, feelings of failure, financial strain, fear of the future, depression and so on - the list is almost endless.

You can't change the past, but you can change the future - and the way to start is to turn to Christ and open your heart to Him. He wants to forgive the past, and He wants to guide your future. Begin again today by giving your life to Jesus Christ.

[Billy Graham]