By Jonathan Wisor, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine
A winter as rough as the one we are experiencing doesn’t have to keep us indoors. We are blessed with outdoor opportunities here in the Inland Northwest in the form of snowshoeing, downhill skiing and cross-country (aka ‘Nordic’) skiing.
By: Richard Young, PhD Candidate, Nutrition Exercise Physiology
Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, Washington State University
As a SERE Specialist in the Air Force Special Operations (AFSOC), I instructed select Department of Defense personnel in stress management from combat survival and captured situations in order to return with honor. I finished my undergraduate education at the University of Washington and I am a 4th year PhD candidate studying the impact of exercise on the body’s ability to tolerate and recovery from stressful events.
What I believe is of significant importance is that people understand the impact that chronic stress has on health outcomes. Beyond gastrointestinal distress, tension headaches, and lost sleep, stress can have serious consequences. Stress has been implicated in cardiovascular disease, immune dysfunction, and shrinkage of the amygdala, a part of the brain responsible for memory.
It is impossible to avoid stress in life. Therefore, your attendance will arm you with the ability to detect signs that will help you identify and counter any stress that you may be experiencing before it becomes chronic and problematic.
Richard Young will be a panelist at #StressAndHealthyU at WSU Spokane January 12th from 12:00-1:00pm in SAC 20. Students, faculty, and staff from the university district are encouraged to attend!
By: Tracy L. Skaer, Pharm.D., Professor of Pharmacotherapy
College of Pharmacy, Washington State University
Jon-Kabat-Zinn describes mindfulness as, “the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, nonjudgmentally to the unfolding experience moment by moment.” Mindfulness has been found to reduce stress as well as gradually building inner strength to ensure that future stressful situations have less impact on our physical and emotional well-being.
Mindfulness reduces stress by: » More …
By: Naomi Chaytor, PhD, ABPP, Associate Professor
Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, Washington State University
Dr. Chaytor is a clinical psychologist with expertise in brain-behavior relationships (how our brains take in our world and produce emotions, thinking and other behavior). She was a practicing clinical neuropsychologist at UW Medicine for 11 years working with patients with neurological illness and injury. She conducted evaluations of patients in order to better understand the cognitive and emotional consequences of brain changes and help them return to work, school or home. She also did short-term problem focused psychotherapy helping patients adjust to their illness or injury. » More …