Cherry Creek Psychology, Dr. Maximillian Wachtel

I recently noticed that a chiropractor in my building has an interesting question written on some of her marketing materials: If your spine were on your face, would you take better care of it?

It is a witty question, but it also underscores  a fundamental truth about humans: we are a fairly vain species. We like looking good, and we tend to feel better about ourselves when we are seen by others as attractive.

With that in mind, you should be aware that anxiety can cause some significant problems for your face. For example, the stress reaction in your body causes the release of a chemical called cortisol. Cortisol is responsible for causing your skin to release oil, which can then lead to an increase in acne.

One recent study has found that teenagers who are under high levels of stress are 23% more likely to have a serious acne outbreak than teenagers who are not stressed. Although not quite as dramatic, adults have similar issues. The more stressed you are, the more likely you are to have acne.

One other potentially bad effect from cortisol: it causes hair loss. I have first-hand experience with this symptom (well, not exactly first-hand…). About two years before we had to put him down, we found out that our dog, Pete, had a tumor growing on his adrenal gland. One of the problems associated with that tumor was that it caused his body to release excessive amounts of cortisol. He almost immediately started losing fur in small clumps, and by the end, the poor little guy was about half-bald.

So, to summarize, stress and anxiety can not only have serious negative effects on your mood and your internal physical health, but they can also make you look pretty bad on the outside.

I see this as one more reason to take good care of your emotional health: you don’t want to wear your emotions on your face.

Thanks for reading– Max Wachtel, Ph.D.
www.cherrycreekpsychology.com
maxwachtel@cherrycreekpsychology.com

A provocative title, I know.

A recent study published in the journal Health Psychology found that, in households where both spouses work and have school-aged children, women in happy marriages rebounded more quickly from daily stress than women in unhappy marriages.

Although the study doesn’t make this claim, it would seem that, if you are a woman in an unhappy marriage, working on improving you married life could potentially help you recover from stress more quickly. This could have a significantly positive impact on your physical and emotional well-being.

Another interesting article, this one in Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, found that women who engage in religious activity are less prone to feel depressed than women who do not engage in religious activity. Interestingly, men are less likely to be depressed if they are not religious. I’m not sure why this is. Any thoughts?

Thanks for reading– Max Wachtel, Ph.D. (www.CherryCreekPsychology; maxwachtel@cherrycreekpsychology.com)

I was at Starbucks on Monday night, enjoying a short decaf cappuccino (that’s right, they have “short” drinks…”tall” is not their smallest option. It is only the smallest option they list on their menu–you should try ordering a short sometime. All the employees will know what you are talking about, but the customers will freak out), when a man came in and ordered a ten-shot, caramel, upside down, iced, something, blah blah blah… I stopped listening after the first few words. Ten shots. Let me repeat: ten shots.

When I was in graduate school at the University of Denver, I worked at a deli that also served espresso drinks. They had one called “The Madman,” which was nothing more than five shots of espresso. No one ever ordered it. Why would anyone want to do that to him/herself?

It is important for me to say, as a public service announcement, that ten shots of espresso at one time is not good for your health. And, it is really, really bad for your mental health. That much caffeine can cause a tremendous amount of anxiety (even after the immediate effects of the caffeine have worn off). Don’t even get me started on how it can disrupt your sleep.

I was curious as to what would happen to the man who ordered “The Double Madman” on Monday night. Would his heart explode? Would he run out of Starbucks, screaming, chased by hallucinations of demons? Would he give a spectacular one-man performance of the Pirates of Penzance? I was dying to see what would happen to him, but alas, I was too tired. I just went home and quickly fell asleep.

Thanks for reading– Max Wachtel, Ph.D. (maxwachtel@cherrycreekpsychology.com; www.cherrycreekpsychology.com  

It may seem too early to start thinking about the 2007 holiday season, but I was at the Cherry Creek Mall last night buying a coat for my daughter, and I noticed that the mall staff had already set up the Christmas pavilion, filled with snow globes and various other holiday accouterments (did I come anywhere close to spelling that correctly?). Incidentally, the pavilion appears to be sponsored by the movie “Fred Claus,” which if you haven’t seen an ad for it yet, promises to be in the running for worst movie of all time (I would love for readers to comment on movies they think are worse).

Anyway, since the mall thinks it is time for the holidays, then time for the holidays it is. Along with all of the festivities, family fun and presents often comes stress, sadness and grief. For some, the thought of spending so much time with family is terrifying. For others, the absence of a recently-lost loved one weighs heavily this time of year. For still others, the notion of overeating and gaining more weight leaves them feeling hopeless.

As most of you are well aware, November and December can be extremely difficult months for a lot of people. But, it is important to keep in mind that this is supposed to be a joyful time where our everyday lives can be suspended while we spend time with friends and family and show others how much we care about them. And at the very least, no one expects you to get all that much done at work, so you can afford to slack off a bit, right?

Of course, many people find working through issues brought up around the holidays with a a professional to be helpful, and I would recommend that you talk to someone if you are feeling a lot of anxiety or depression. Even meeting with a therapist for one or two sessions to gain some tips on how to deal with holiday stress could be useful.

Good luck, try to remain calm, and beware of Fred Claus– Max Wachtel, Ph.D. (www.CherryCreekPsychology.com; maxwachtel@CherryCreekPsychology.com)

One of the best cures for anxiety is taking some time off from work and getting out of town. I am about to leave for a quick trip to New Mexico with my family for the holiday weekend.

Have a great Labor Day, and enjoy the extra time off– Max Wachtel, Ph.D. (www.cherrycreekpsychology.com; maxwachtel@cherrycreekpsychology.com) 

I ran across an interesting research article the other day on caffeine intake and cognitive ability that I thought I would share. You may not know this, but caffeine can severely impact your anxiety. Since it is an “upper,” much like nicotine, amphetamines, cocaine and crystal meth (okay, it’s not as bad as crystal meth, but I’m trying to make a dramatic point here…), it causes your body to rev itself up. Your heart rate increases, your blood pressure rises, your pupils dilate, you may even start sweating. You can get jittery and start shaking, and your concentration focuses. All of these are also physiological symptoms of anxiety. If you are already anxious by nature, caffeine can push you over the edge. If you aren’t anxious, caffeine can make you feel like you are. in addition, caffeine in the afternoon can negatively affect your sleep. Even if you fall asleep right away, the caffeine in your system will keep your brain from entering into the most restful sleep patterns. You will wake up tired and in dire need of another cup of coffee.

 In 2004, three Australian researchers looked at the effects of caffeine on cognitive processes. Have you ever had a cup of coffee so that you could focus on a task at work? That is what these researchers examined. What they found was that, in light caffeine drinkers (no more than 500mg of caffeine per week–that is one 8 oz. cup of coffee per day), consuming caffeine actually helped them to focus on cognitive tasks. In heavy caffeine users (at least 400mg per day–over four cups of coffee), consuming caffeine had no effect on their ability to focus on tasks requiring them to think.

What does this finding mean? It could mean that the light caffeine drinkers received some benefit from drinking a cup of coffee while the heavy consumers merely warded off withdrawal symptoms.

So, think about your caffeine consumption. How much do you drink every day? Do you only have one cup? Is your one cup the size of a Super Big Gulp? Do you drink a lot of caffeinated soda? Are you drinking caffeine now solely to avoid withdrawal symptoms? Does it help you focus? And, what is your energy level like during the day? Are you jittery? Are you anxious? Do you feel rejuvenated in the morning? Do you feel like you are going to panic for no reason?

Depending on your answers to the above questions, you might be drinking too much caffeine. Try cutting back (quitting cold turkey can be a painful experience) and see what happens. You might find that your anxiety is relieved somewhat, and that you sleep better at night. You might actually feel more alert and energized if you consume less caffeine. You will definitely feel less anxious if you cut back. Although this is a bit extreme, I have had clients whose anxiety problems were solved solely by cutting down their caffeine consumption. All of a sudden, they felt “normal” again.

 Thanks for reading– Max Wachtel, Ph.D. (www.CherryCreekPsychology.com)