The Gift I Gave to Myself

Posted on | by HeartMath

I’ve fought weight for years. Ten years ago, my then-new personal physician told me I needed to lose weight or lose my life, and sent me to a nutritionist. I was put on blood pressure medication and forced to face the harsh reality I had managed to avoid.

Around the same time, I began doing work for H3I, and went through several of their healthy living programs. I began healthy eating as a way of life, began working out, and learned to regularly make healthy choices. Over the next year, I lost around 70 pounds, then hit a plateau. I hadn’t started regaining, but I wasn’t progressing and bad patterns were sneaking back into my daily life.

Unfortunately, in the last 18-24 months, I gained nearly all of it back. I was just not able to get a grip on it. I could not figure out what was wrong with me – why wasn’t I stronger, and how could I not have any will power at all? I had quit smoking and drinking, both cold turkey, but obviously that isn’t an option with food.

HeartMath came into my life in November, when I started learning about the Institute, the research and the technology for work. A light clicked for me when it came to Stopping Emotional Eating. I made the decision to buy myself an early Christmas present, went online and ordered the SEE program, with Webinars.

I was initially concerned that I wasn’t able to get into the green for any length of time. Belatedly, I realized several positive results – first and foremost, after several years of bad sleep patterns, I was falling asleep immediately and sleeping through the night.

One day when I came home from the store, I realized I had bought only healthy foods. It struck me that before I checked out, I had stopped and gone through my basket removing unhealthy choices and returning them to the shelves. I have become far more conscious of my food choices, at the store, at home and in restaurants.

I never weighed myself through the holidays, but eventually, post-Christmas, when clothes were not as tight, I did and learned I’d lost 11 pounds. This included family Thanksgiving and Christmas, as well as holiday parties and dinners.

Getting HeartMath’s Stopping Emotional Eating Program has unquestionably been the best Christmas gift I’ve ever given myself. I know what I should and should not eat. I know I should be more active, but particularly over the course of the last year, I have continuously made bad choices. This is the first time I remember going into the new year with a very positive outlook on life. I use the emWave morning and night, but also keep it with me during the day. I have lost 15 pounds so far, without officially going on a diet – but I am looking into something more structured to combine with the SEE program.

About the Heart

The heart does more than pump blood. It is actually an information processing system that sends powerful healing commands to the brain and the rest of the body. It does this in four ways: Neurologically through a complex nervous system that researches call “the brain in the heart” Through changes in the blood pressure wave that create changes in the electrical activity in the brain Hormonally by releasing important hormones into the body Electrically through an electromagnetic field produced by the heart that permeates every cell in our body and extends beyond the skin out into space up to 3 to 4 feet

Positive attitude at work may reduce stress

Posted on | by HeartMath

Employees who suppress positive attitudes at work drain themselves of energy and end up with more negative feelings regarding their job and organization, according to a recent study by researchers from Rice University, Purdue University and the University of Toronto.

Some professionals – like journalists, doctors and law enforcement officers – are obligated to retain a neutral demeanor in order to do their jobs. However, the study showed that in a customer service position, participants who were asked to suppress their positive emotions had poorer employee performance and experienced higher workplace stress.

Employers in industries like medicine or law enforcement where a straight face is required may be able to counteract these negative feelings through employee wellness programs. Studies have shown that regular exercise combats stress, so a workplace gym or gym membership could help professionals in these fields. An article on the Atlanta Business Chronicle website says fostering open communication, honesty and encouragement are key things bosses can do to help workers. It also suggests implementing a company sports league to build morale and support systems.

Individuals who do not work in fields that require a poker face may want to keep in mind that a positive attitude can be contagious. The study showed that customers who interacted with happy employees rated the organization better in the end.

Whatever the job description, studies have shown stress to be detrimental to health and productivity. Employee wellness programs are available to combat stress and help support a company’s bottom line.

Emotional intelligence makes for positive workplace

Posted on | by HeartMath

A recent study from the University of Haifa has shown that private sector employees with a high level of emotional intelligence tend to have more positive attitudes toward their workplace and are less likely to engage in negative behavior.

The study may suggest that employee wellness programs that build a worker’s ability to identify and assess their own emotions as well as those of their coworkers’ could help ease workplace stress and potentially improve employee performance.

Employees who were more in touch with their emotions showed an increased perception of fairness in their organization, commitment to their company and satisfaction at work. These workers were also less prone to burnout, shirking and engaging in forceful influence tactics.

The study showed the presence of emotional intelligence was not as likely to positively influence workers in the public sector, however.

According to an article on the Employee Wellness Programs’ website, tools and activities to help promote or improve emotional intelligence include health coaching, self-help groups, writing in a journal, an assessment of one’s emotional health and the presence of a support system at work.

Employee performance depends on a balance between six areas of work

Posted on | by HeartMath

Absences due to workplace stress are estimated to cost about $3.5 billion per year, according to one estimate from The Canadian Policy Research Networks. However, when employers take steps to balance workload, environment, control, reward, fairness and values they can help improve employee wellness and boost productivity.

Dr. Michael Leiter, co-author of The Truth About Burnout, outlines on his website Workengagement.com

Happy people make happy employees

Posted on | by HeartMath

Happiness at home may equal happiness at work, according to a study published in the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology.

Assistant professor Nathan Bowling at Wright State University and a team of researchers analyzed 223 studies that were completed between 1967 and 2008, all of which looked at the correlation between general contentedness and happiness at work. They found that people who had a positive outlook on life in general also enjoyed their jobs more than those who felt negatively about life.

Bowling said the results may not bode well for those seeking happiness through their careers. He and his team found stronger links between a general positivity and a subsequent satisfaction in the workplace than job satisfaction and a subsequent overall happiness.

“These results suggest that if people are, or are predisposed to be, happy and satisfied in life generally, then they will be likely to be happy and satisfied in their work,” said Bowling. “However, the flipside of this finding could be that those people who are dissatisfied generally and who seek happiness through their work, may not find job satisfaction. Nor might they increase their levels of overall happiness by pursuing it.”

While a job may not have the power to instill overall happiness, workplace stress can certainly have an impact on general well-being. As a result, companies that make efforts to reduce their workers’ stress levels tend to also boost employee performance.

Solution for Overcoming Anger

Posted on | by HeartMath

What Is Anger?

Anger can be defined in many ways: from a loss of calmness, displeasure or irritation, to hostility or rage. When anger takes control, it is nearly impossible to focus on anything except that which has made us angry. Feelings of anger might dissipate after a few moments, linger for a day or take hold for months or years. Sadly, many people lead lives of one volatile encounter after another and don’t know why or how to overcome anger.

“When you have a long history with anger, when you’ve put a lot of emotional energy into that anger, you’ve imprinted a pattern in your brain that’s hard to break.”

“Transforming Anger, Childre and Rozman, 2003

Anger Builds

Anger often starts off as something small and builds. You’re impatient, irritation grows, judgment leads to blame and now you’re angry. Justified or not, the anger causes incoherence in your heart rhythms that activates stress hormones. Research has shown one five-minute episode of anger is so stressful it impairs your immune system for more than six hours.

The Quest to Overcome Anger

Eliminating anger and the longstanding habits that allow anger to trigger can be hard at first. The good news is HeartMath techniques have been proven effective in breaking the cycle of anger and all of its consequences. The techniques are very easy to learn and are based on extensive scientific research that has revealed how the heart and the brain communicate.

“Search your heart,” the saying goes, for therein lies the answer. Heart intelligence, we now know, is a resource that not only can help us overcome anger, but can guide us in transforming our entire lives as well and the process can be scientifically monitored.

“In recent years, neuroscientists have made an exciting discovery. They’ve found that the heart has its own independent nervous system – a complex system referred to as ‘the brain in the heart.’ The heart’s intrinsic brain and nervous system relay information back to the brain in the cranium, creating a two-way communication system between heart and brain.”

“The HeartMath Solution”, Childre and Martin, 1999.

Transforming Anger: The HeartMath® Solution for Letting Go of Rage, Frustration, and Irritation Childre, Rozman, 2003
If you feel you can’t control your anger, this book offers you hope as well as practical tools to help you succeed. You’ll learn what researchers and scientists have learned: The human heart has intelligence all its own that you can tap into to overcome anger, stress and much more. Also includes complete details of the Go to Neutral Tool.

A HeartMath TIP:

The moment a feeling of anger starts to arise is the time to employ this simple exercise adapted from the HeartMath Go to Neutral Tool.

  • Take a time-out to disengage from your thoughts and feelings, especially stressful ones. Actually say to yourself, “time out,” as you recognize and feel your emotional triggers, then step back from all reactions to them.
  • Shift your focus to the area around your heart and feel your breath coming in through your heart and going out through your solar plexus.
  • Tell yourself, “Go to neutral,” and remain in this neutral zone until your emotions ease and your perceptions relax.

Benefits of Living Anger Free

  • Relationships, communication improve
  • Enriched outlook on life
  • Healthier, more energy
  • Calmer around people
  • More focused at work, school, play

“The relationship between anger, heart attacks and other adverse health effects is well documented. You can learn how to not only defuse this deadly emotion, but how you can transform it into positive feelings.”

Paul Rosch MD,President, American Institute of Stress

The Resilient Heart: A family learns to sleep again

Posted on | by HeartMath

I live in the UK with my husband and 2 beautiful young sons Sam and Alex. Alex turned 2 in January and has for many months now been waking 4 or 5 times a night, and more recently ending up in bed with me in a bid that we would all get back to sleep. This indeed was only serving to reduce his ability to sleep on his own. I was feeling constantly exhausted. It was becoming more and more difficult to tackle the sleeping issue because of my exhaustion and I was becoming more and more stressed every day.

I acquired my emWave in February having received heart resilence training through one of your excellent partners in the UK (EI World), and was lucky zach spacer enough to enjoy a large amount of input from Bruce Cryer, President of HeartMath LLC at that training. I’ve used the emWave as often as two young children have allowed since then, and my husband has been helping to deal with Alex on alternate nights so that I’ve had more regular nights of less disturbed sleep.

One night last week I decided to crack the poor sleeping habit that my son has developed and when he woke at 12:30am crying for me I took him to my office where we’d laid out a tempoary cot so that his frantic screaming was less likely to disturb the rest of the household. I placed him in his cot and sat in my office chair so that he knew he was safe and I was there. I was determined not to comfort him because this pattern has led to more of the same behaviour, so I let him cry. As a mother this is incredibly hard to do because our natural instinct is to comfort. He screamed and screamed for 50 mins calling my name, and asking to come into my bed. Normally this would have wrenched at my heart and I would have given in. However, I attached the emWave to my ear and breathed slowly, visualising my heart swelling with love and compassion. The light went green and I can honestly say that for about 80% of the time the light stayed green. I was able to enjoy the view from the window of my office as the night sky twinkled over the sleeping town where I live. For the first time I could recognise my two year olds cries were his way of testing boundaries. Finally, he fell asleep on his own for the rest of the night and I went to bed beautifully peaceful and content.

Since that night my son has woken only towards late morning rather than every couple of hours throughout the night. I am now more watchful for the times in the day when he tests his boundaries and am able to calmly deal with his tantrums in an assertive and loving way. I shall continue to use the emWave and the techniques of care and compassion for myself, and for my family and look forward to transversing the stages of childhood in a much less stressful way.

The Resilient Heart: Help and Hope for Healing Hearts

Posted on | by HeartMath

Cardiologist, Stephen Jennison and his multidisciplinary team, which includes his wife Becky Aud-Jennison, a licensed clinical professional counselor, treat cardiac patients and specialize in the prevention, treatment and rehabilitation services of congestive heart failure. They teach patients about the connection between stress, anxiety, depression and heart disease and use techniques that help their patients handle the emotional challenges associated with heart disease. Dr. Jennison and Becky Aud-Jennison share how they have integrated HeartMath techniques and the emWave technology into their patient lifestyle management program along with a brief description of the research study they’re conducting using HeartMath techniques and technologies with their patients.

The Resilient Heart: Tammy & Reynir – Divorce wasn’t the only answer

Posted on | by HeartMath

For years they were at war with each other. They would avoid communicating with each other at all costs because it was inevitable that it would end in a screaming match. They met with a psychologist to talk about divorce as a solution. Instead the psychologist introduced Tammy and Reynir to HeartMath. Through HeartMath tools and emWave practice they soon learned that while they thought they were listening, they had never really heard each other. The years of stacked feelings of hurt, frustration and judgments were blocking their ability to really hear the other person. They used HeartMath tools and the emWave PSR as a method that allowed them to take individual responsibility for what they brought to their conversations. Through simple daily practices they learned how to really hear the other and how to talk with each other from a place of care and compassion, and at times even disagree with each other but without the drama. The experience has brought them closer together. Tammy says, “Reynir and I have fallen in love all over again.”

The Resilient Heart: John Kirk. 6 heart attacks later!

Posted on | by HeartMath

John is a 57 year old male with reversed congestive heart failure and reversed diabetes type 2. John has had 6 heart attacks, five angioplasties, and a double CABG bypass. John’s cardiologist introduced him to HeartMath® and John learned how to use HeartMath’s Freeze Frame® technique to stop any stressful emotions that would otherwise exacerbate his physical challenges. He uses the emWave frequently and says that this has played a great part in his ability to change his unhealthy habits and keep him focused. John says he never would have believed the effects possible had he not tried it. John is now free of his air tank most of the time. He has also lost over 70 pounds and continues to lose. He now walks 2 miles a day on his treadmill, and he does 4 miles a day on a recumbent bike, 100 sit-ups, 60 squats, and 50 calf extensions. John is a walking miracle and we’re so glad he’s here to share his story.