| What an appropriate acronym. It stands for Seasonal | | | | their food. In one of the locations, Cambridge University |
| Affective Disorder. I used to live in the arctic. In winter, | | | | in England, the rats were gaining weight and thriving. In |
| we didn't see the sun for many months. I am acutely | | | | the other location, Harvard University in the USA, the |
| aware of the winter blues and how people are | | | | rats were experiencing less measurable growth. |
| affected emotionally, physically, and intellectually. Much | | | | The researchers were unable to rationalize the |
| has been written on the subject, so I would like to | | | | difference until they later discovered the one factor |
| provide you with some supplemental | | | | that made the difference. In order to clean the cages |
| information.Natural LightResearch has demonstrated | | | | at Harvard, the maintenance staff moved the rats into |
| that exposure to natural light has a positive effect on | | | | other cages. At Cambridge, while some maintenance |
| human health, emotional well-being, and therefore | | | | workers cleaned the cages, other workers held and |
| learning. Some of the common symptoms of lack of | | | | stroked the rats. If TLC (tender loving care) can have |
| natural light are fatigue, disturbed sleep patterns, | | | | that kind of effect on the physiology of rats, think what |
| appetite and weight disorders, depression, skin | | | | it can do for a human mind.Emotional Freedom |
| damage, and suppressed immune functions. During the | | | | Technique (EFT)EFT is one of the many techniques in |
| short days of winter, a common problem is Seasonal | | | | the new field of Energy Psychology. It is in the branch |
| Affective Disorder. The symptoms can be easily | | | | known as meridian therapies. The technique removes |
| remedied through daily exposure to sunlight. | | | | negative emotions, reduces or eliminates pain, releases |
| Alternatively, Bright Light Therapy (phototherapy), using | | | | phobias, and assists in setting and implementing positive |
| a minimum of ten thousand lux units for thirty minutes | | | | goals. EFT is a form of psychological acupressure, |
| in the early morning, will often cure SAD. Just to put | | | | based on the same energy meridians used in traditional |
| this into perspective, even the cloudiest day is rarely | | | | acupuncture, to treat emotional disorders. Focusing on |
| below ten thousand lux, and a sunny afternoon could | | | | the issue and stimulating the major neural pathways |
| be as much as one-hundred thousand lux. Do your | | | | initiates a memory process causing change by |
| own research to understand the current technology | | | | unblocking the emotional short-circuit. This process |
| for Bright Light Therapy devices.The commonly-used | | | | results in substituting positive emotions for the negative |
| fluorescent tubes, found in many offices and training | | | | emotions, which were previously learned and |
| facilities, have only narrow spectrum light, and they also | | | | associated with the issue.The process initially requires |
| emit a constant pulsing that can create stress and | | | | the person to think about the event or issue. Simple |
| fatigue. A study of 750 classrooms ((21,000 students) | | | | tapping with the fingertips is used to input kinetic |
| in California, Washington, and Colorado found that | | | | energy onto specific meridians on the hand, head, and |
| students in classrooms with windows and skylights | | | | chest. This combination of tapping the energy |
| learned 20 to 26 percent faster than students in | | | | meridians and voicing specific phrases works to clear |
| classrooms with the least natural light exposure. A | | | | the emotional block from the body's bio-energetic |
| Florida study of two first grade classrooms found that | | | | system. This restores the mind and body's balance, |
| full-spectrum lighting reduced nervousness and | | | | which is essential for optimal learning and mental health. |
| hyperactivity. The students also improved their overall | | | | EFT can dramatically enhance intellectual performance |
| classroom performance.The Law Of EmotionA | | | | simply by eliminating the emotional lids on our intellectual |
| person can only have one set of emotions and | | | | potential.Most SAD Goes Unnoticed.Most of us |
| feelings at a time. Stronger emotions and feelings | | | | navigate through the winter totally oblivious to how |
| replace weaker ones. Indifference or boredom can be | | | | poorly we are functioning. Those who evade SAD are |
| substituted with appreciation or curiosity. Curiosity can | | | | regular outdoor exercisers and walkers. Many of us |
| then be replaced with excitement, which in turn can | | | | just feel a bit down, and turn to comfort food. The |
| enable a high-energy learning state. Self-criticism can | | | | lethargy sets in and we pine for the spring. Be |
| be substituted with a strong self-esteem. Neurolinguistic | | | | assertive. Releasing the winter blues is simpler than |
| Programming (NLP) is a way of modeling how | | | | you think. Begin today. Get outside.International speaker, |
| successful people achieve their results. It gives us a | | | | Dr. Brian E. Walsh, is the bestselling author of |
| wonderful set of tools and principles for enhancing the | | | | Unleashing Your Brilliance. For much of his 30-year |
| components of emotional intelligence: self-awareness, | | | | corporate career he was involved in human resources, |
| self-control, motivation, empathy, and social skills.The | | | | specifically training.While living in the arctic, Brian studied |
| Love FactorTwo parallel studies were conducted on | | | | anthropology and Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP), |
| young newborn rats sourced from the same supplier. | | | | which prepared him for working with other cultures. |
| All aspects of the experiments were identical, including | | | | |