Camp hills

By Michael A. Friedman “Look in my eyes, what do you see? The cult of personality . I know your anger , I know your dreams . I’ve been everything you want to be. I’m the cult of personality.” — from “ Cult of Personality ” by Living Colour There is something enticing about viewing the world in simplistic all-or-none terms of “good” and “evil.” We love seeing ourselves as righteous and perfect, while viewing those with whom we have conflict as villainous and devoid of moral value. Why get involved in the stickiness of the complexity of human interaction? And often we choose our entertainment based on our desire for this fantasy world. Good guys versus bad guys, cops versus robbers, superheroes versus villains — these are the dichotomies that pervade our cultural landscape. Source: Photo by Travis Shinn Who doesn’t love seeing a bad guy get their due in a television show or movie? And the more intense the retribution, the better – because if … [Read more...] about Vernon Reid and the Power of Comic Book Complexity

How to achieve calm in a state of panic. Source: Zoffness In the face of COVID-19, we’re seeing a viral spread of anxiety contagion . Panic is as contagious as any pathogen and is dangerous in its own right. Research shows that when we see people panicking – buying up all available water, for example – our brains respond with a similar anxiety spike. We’re built that way because it can be adaptive in certain situations. But it can also be maladaptive . Sustained anxiety is literally bad for your health: The more you panic, the less functional your immune system becomes. The science of anxiety is this: in the face of a real or perceived emergency, your sympathetic nervous system (SNS) kicks on, triggering the release of a stress hormone called cortisol . Over time, cortisol suppresses your immune system, causing a decrease in white blood cells – the cells that help you fight off viruses — putting you at greater risk of infection. The more you panic, the less able … [Read more...] about Anxiety Contagion: Tips for Relief