New Year, Same Ol’ Resolutions

Every January 1^st, I find myself making big plans: “This is the year I lose 50 lbs!” “This is the year I write my novel!” “This is the year I start on-line dating!” “This is the year I get organized!” And I don’t just say that I plan on doing those things—I actually make lists of things to do and steps to take. I get serious about it.

But, for whatever reason, I have never stuck with any of my resolutions. Not one.

So, this year, I’m taking a different approach. I’m enlisting the help of psychology.

A couple of books came out this year (or are due out soon) related to willpower and habit change—two things vital to New Year’s resolution success. I plan on picking these up. Visit your local bookstore (or, better yet, your local library!) and check them out for yourself:

Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength by Roy F. Baumeister and John Tierney

The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg

Changeology: 5 Steps to Realizing Your Goals and Resolutions by John Norcross

There’s also a great blog, The Science of Willpower, which I’ll be checking out. A few tips taken from blog:

1. Watching reruns of your favorite show can actually help boost your willpower.
2. Stay near the good, away from the bad. Seriously. If you’re approaching a bag a chips, your brain thinks it’s a good idea. If you walk away from them, your brain will think it’s bad for you. Read on.
3. Stress is going to keep you stuck in your old habits. So sticking to those resolutions is going to require learning some relaxation techniques.

The Sky Is Falling

Yesterday morning, I awoke to the sound of dripping water in my bathroom. Because I just bought my house (my first!), I immediately went into freak-out mode. I couldn’t see any water on the floor nor could I even pinpoint where exactly the noise was coming from. Panicked, I called my dad, who only made matters worse by freaking out as well. I ended up spending the entire day at work imagining a pipe bursting, drenching my new house in water. I couldn’t relax. I couldn’t get any work done.  I eventually had to take prescription anti-anxiety medication just to get through the day without bursting into tears or sending my heart into palpitations. But then, after work, I spent another frantic hour trying to diagnose the problem while I waited for someone to call me about fixing it.

And what ended up being the problem?

It was the fan. In the ceiling. It wasn’t a water leak at all. A vent or something wasn’t closed all the way, so with each wind gust (it was windy yesterday), the vent would move, creating what sounded like water dripping in the wall.

So I spent nearly 12 hours in a state of panic, fearing the worst—and likely causing some serious havoc on my blood pressure, my digestive system, my hormones, and countless other body systems—all because of a bathroom fan.

Welcome to my life. My anxiety-ridden, the-sky-is-always-falling life.

I suffer from anxiety. It comes and goes. Sometimes it’s worse than others. Sometimes, it’s understandable—like when I had to move back in with my parents after grad school because I couldn’t find a job. Sometimes, it’s irrational—like when I start worrying that I have some life-threatening disease simply because I had a tiny pain in my abdomen. But regardless of the rationality, it’s bad for my health. And learning to control it has been a years-long process.

Exercise has really helped ease my anxiety at times. So has making lists of possible solutions to problems. It turns out that both of these actions are recommended in this health column from The New York Times. It gives some great recommendations for how to deal with daily stress.

And for more information on anxiety, check out MedlinePlus.

Gas Leaks, Part One

A friend of mine sent an email out to our small group of friends today showing us what she plans on getting us for Christmas this year: a charcoal cushion you put in your underwear that absorbs the odor given off by flatulence.

She was joking, of course. However, it reminded me of the fact that women rarely talk about gas except with very close friends. That’s how I always know a new friend and I have reached a new level—we can openly share our humiliating fart stories without being embarrassed.

And since you are now my new friends, I’m not going to hold back from sharing such stories. I’m also not going to hold back from sharing ways of reducing it:

1. Not so sweet after all. Back in college, I tried to cut sugar from my diet. I apparently didn’t know anything about health back then because I thought I’d hit the jackpot when I found sugar-free chocolate bars. In one sitting, I ate an entire bag of mini candy bars. Not long after, my stomach started making music. I mean the type of sound effects usually saved for comedy films. It was THAT bad. I couldn’t leave my dorm room for 24 hours. Turns out, sugar alcohols can cause gas and other intestinal upsets. So beware when consuming too much of any sweet that contains sugar alcohols like maltitol and xylitol.
2. Vege-terrible. A close friend of mine once shoved her cell phone in my face, saying “Look at this!” It was a picture of her with her stomach stuck out to the point of looking pregnant. “I had such bad gas last night! I just had to take pictures!” She was right—she really did have bad gas! Turns out she ate raw broccoli for dinner the night before—A LOT of raw broccoli. Raw broccoli, as well as some other raw vegetables, can cause flatulence. That doesn’t mean stop eating them, of course. Just be careful the next time you’re at a social gathering they’re serving crudité.
3. You’ve got to move it, move it. My mom and I used to have mother-daughter outings in which we’d go to lunch and then go shopping. On more than one occasion, I walked up to her in a store and she whispered “Run,” practically dragging me to another aisle. The reason? She farted and didn’t want another customer to know it was her. Turns out that movement aids in the releasing of gas. So, the next time you plan on doing some shopping, save lunch for later.

For more info on what causes gas, check out Harvard’s 12 Tips for Reducing Gas.

Dr. Internet

My Dad is a smart guy. However, he has this one habit that drives me crazy: he believes everything he reads online. EVERYTHING. I don’t know how many times he’s forwarded an email to me that contained some crazy story or unbelievable rumor. I always fact check it and send it back to him with the TRUE story (complete with cited sources).

And he’s certainly not alone in believing everything he reads online. Being a librarian, I run into A LOT of people that type a few words into Google and then believe whatever information they find. Usually, it just leads to spreading rumors or exaggerating stories. However, when it comes to health information, it can be particularly dangerous.

Everyone looks for health information online. Maybe after you received a diagnosis. Or maybe after you had a pain in your lower abdomen and freaked out that it was appendicitis or colon cancer (I’m guilty of this). Regardless of why you’re looking for health information, you need to be careful about what information you find.

So here are a few things to keep in mind when you find yourself on a website, trying to figure out if you have colon cancer or just plain ol’ gas:

1. Who’s responsible for the information on the website? Anyone—and I mean ANYONE—can create a website today. You don’t need to be a doctor to go spreading health information on the Web. So before you decide to believe what a website is telling you, ask yourself who created the website? What are their credentials? What is their purpose for creating the website?
2. Is the information current? Health information changes rapidly today. What’s good for you one day can be bad the next. So, any website containing health information needs to be updated regularly. Check to see the last time the website was updated.
3. Where does the information come from? Who’s writing the information? Doctors or other health professionals? If not, does the author cite their sources and/or provide other resources?

Only when you’re satisfied with the answers to those questions should you believe what you’re reading. And always remember that the Internet is just one source. If you really have a health question, ask your doctor.

If you want a more information about evaluating health information, try this tutorial from the U.S National Library of Medicine.

Also, visit the Need More Info page of this site to find a list of reputable websites for finding health information.

Welcome!

Welcome to The Healthy Librarian, a blog about women’s health issues.

Health information today changes fast. It’s hard for even health professionals to stay up-to-date, much less a woman juggling a job, family, house, dog, friends, and Pinterest. So, my task as The Healthy Librarian is to keep you a little more informed about health issues affecting you.

So check back regularly for health-related updates (and stories) from yours truly. You can also subscribe via email to get my blog posts in your inbox and/or follow me on Twitter.