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2. How does SEESAWS impact each component: (please use the internet to help you find your information)

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2. How does SEESAWS impact each component: (please use the internet to help you find your information)

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Sleep
Eat
Exercise
Stress free
Avoid drugs
Weight control
Save sex for marriage

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3. How can someone be PROACTIVE in each component (at least 3 examples for each)

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3. How can someone be PROACTIVE in each component (at least 3 examples for each)

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4. How can someone be REACTIVE in each component (at least 3 examples for each)

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4. How can someone be REACTIVE in each component (at least 3 examples for each)

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5. What are Risk Factors that you can Control in this component?

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5. What are Risk Factors that you can Control in this component?

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6. Which Body System (DRRMUNCHIS) is impacted the most in each component? Explain

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6. Which Body System (DRRMUNCHIS) is impacted the most in each component? Explain

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Physical health is a state of health and well being of a person who can perform in sports and other physical activities.

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2. How does SEESAWS impact each component: (please use the internet to help you find your information)

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2. How does SEESAWS impact each component: (please use the internet to help you find your information)

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Sleep. Sleep impacts our growth and stress hormones in a good way. Sleeping gives us less stress and improves our mood

Eating. Eating impacts our physical health by what we eat. If we eat good thing like vegetables etc., we stay fit. But if we eat junk food all the time we get fat and can be obese and get diabetes.

Exercise. Exercising impacts us by helping ourselves stay in shape and have good brain health and have less risks of getting diseases.

Stress Free. Being stress free impacts us in a good way. Without stress we are more happy and can stay in shape and sleep better. And we can get along with more people easily.

Avoid Drugs. Avoiding drugs gives us less risks of cancer and strokes. Drugs can also effect our mental health and appearance.

Weight Control. Controlling our weight helps us control our cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar. And being healthy means that we can live a long life.

Save sex for marriage. Saving sex for marriage gives us a better relationship with our partner and can let you enjoy your young years.

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3. How can someone be PROACTIVE in each component (at least 3 examples for each)

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3. How can someone be PROACTIVE in each component (at least 3 examples for each)

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Physical therapy can help you recover quickly from injuries, but what most people don’t know is that it can actually help in avoiding injury altogether. Your physical therapist can teach you several different exercises you can do at home and before you engage in physical activity in order to help prevent injury.

With surgery, you always run the risk of blood clots, infection, and lengthy recovery time. In many cases, physical therapy can correct a problem without the need for surgery at all. Sprains, strains, dislocations, tendonitis, bursitis, arthritis, and acute/chronic pain are just a few of the many ailments that a physical therapist can help you with.

Even if you’re already in good health and involved in a variety of activities, physical therapy can still be beneficial to you. Your physical therapist can help you enhance your performance and give you advice on certain forms and techniques. If you are looking to get back into the activities you love, your physical therapist can help you achieve that.

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4. How can someone be REACTIVE in each component (at least 3 examples for each)

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4. How can someone be REACTIVE in each component (at least 3 examples for each)

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when we feel stressed, angry, or hurt, we tend to react impulsively

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5. What are Risk Factors that you can Control in this component?

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5. What are Risk Factors that you can Control in this component?

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Risk factors that can be controlled include blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, weight, smoking and other wellness factors like physical activity and stress level.

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6. Which Body System (DRRMUNCHIS) is impacted the most in each component? Explain

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6. Which Body System (DRRMUNCHIS) is impacted the most in each component? Explain

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Cardiovascular

Improved contractility

Increased blood vessel diameter

Increased capillary density

Improved vasodilation

Decreased average blood pressure at rest or submaximal activity due to the increased efficiency

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Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood.

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2. How does SEESAWS impact each component: (please use the internet to help you find your information)

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2. How does SEESAWS impact each component: (please use the internet to help you find your information)

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sleep: Each stage plays a role in brain health, allowing activity in different parts of the brain to ramp up or down and enabling better thinking, learning, and memory¹. Research has also uncovered that brain activity during sleep has profound effects on emotional and mental health

eat: When you stick to a diet of healthy food, you're setting yourself up for fewer mood fluctuations, an overall happier outlook and an improved ability to focus, Dr. Cora says. Studies have even found that healthy diets can help with symptoms of depression and anxiety.

exercise: Exercise improves mental health by reducing anxiety, depression, and negative mood and by improving self-esteem and cognitive function. Exercise has also been found to alleviate symptoms such as low self-esteem and social withdrawal.

stress: Stress has a psychological impact that can manifest as irritability or aggression, a feeling of loss of control, insomnia, fatigue or exhaustion, sadness or tears, concentration or memory problems, or more. Continued stress can lead to other problems, such as depression, anxiety or burnout.

avoid drugs: There are different ways drugs can affect your mental health. For some people, taking drugs can lead to long-term mental health problems. Regular cannabis use can increase your risk of anxiety or depression. There's also a link between using stronger cannabis and developing psychosis or schizophrenia.

weight: One study found that adults with excess weight had a 55% higher risk of developing depression over their lifetime compared to people that did not struggle with obesity. Other research linked being overweight with significant increases in major depression, bipolar disorder, and panic disorder or agoraphobia.

saving sex for marriage: Another study highlights that increasing sexual activity from once a month to once a week can raise happiness levels as much as making an extra $50,000 at your job.
When you do not have the emotional connection and the flow of beneficial oxytocin running through your body that comes from having sex, you may begin to feel depressed.

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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482280/

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Introduction

Compared to our resting state, exercise poses a substantial increase in demand for the body. At rest, our nervous system maintains a parasympathetic tone, which affects the respiratory rate, cardiac output, and various metabolic processes. Exercise stimulates the sympathetic nervous system and will induce an integrated response from the body; This response works to maintain an appropriate level of homeostasis for the increased demand in physical, metabolic, respiratory, and cardiovascular efforts.

Issues of Concern

Cardiovascular disease remains a prevalent issue in our patient population despite advances in prevention guidelines and treatments. The top risk factors include hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and tobacco use; these mentioned risk factors encompass nearly 50% of the mortality fraction. Lack of exercise tends to exacerbate the deleterious effects of these risk factors while implementing exercise in daily routine has been shown to reduce mortality rates. Specifically, the lack of exercise is directly linked to obesity, while also playing a role in the development of diabetes and hypertension.[1][2][3]

Research shows that exercise, in conjunction with other lifestyle modifications, can reduce the risk of hypertension regardless of inherent genetic predispositions; also, exercise has shown to increase insulin sensitivity in the management approach to diabetes.[4][5][6]

Healthy body weight can be attained through lifestyle modifications to further reduce mortality due to cardiovascular disease.

With exercise being a non-invasive and non-pharmaceutical intervention, it has a pivotal role regarding accessibly and improving quality of life.

Cellular

Working from gross anatomy to cellular anatomy, we start at the skeletal muscle level. Within each skeletal muscle, there are hundreds of muscle fibers that are compartmentalized in an organized fashion linearly. They work in tandem to shorten muscle upon contraction.

The outermost layer of the muscle is the epimysium. Within this layer, muscle fibers are bundled into muscle fascicles. Deeper than this is the perimysial layer, which encompasses the endomysial layer, which ultimately holds the individual muscle fibers (aka myocytes).

At the muscle fiber level, there is the sarcolemma (plasma membrane of the muscle fiber). The sarcoplasm is analogous to the cytoplasm, and the sarcoplasmic reticulum is akin to a smooth endoplasmic reticulum. Finally, we have myofibrils, which are composed of contractile actin and myosin filaments.

Within all of this, the functional unit of a myofibril is the sarcomere. It is comprised of an organization of contractile myofilaments. These myofilaments are the actin filament (thin filament) and the myosin filament (thick filament). One sarcomere is defined as the filaments between two Z-disks. The center of the sarcomere is the M-line, which anchors the thick myosin filaments. The I-band is the area adjacent to the Z-lines where myosin filaments do not overlap actin filaments. Sarcomeres are arranged end-to-end along the entire length of the muscle fiber, and the synchronized contraction of each unit produces a visible muscle contraction.

Organ Systems Involved

Physical activity in the form of exercise induces a coordinated response of multiple organ systems.[7][8][9][10]

Musculoskeletal System

The musculoskeletal system is at the forefront.

Three types of muscle fibers have different characteristics.

Higher myosin ATPase activity is directly proportional to faster muscle contraction speed while higher oxidative capacity relates to fatigability.

Type-I fibers are known as slow-twitch fibers. These fibers have abundant mitochondria and myoglobin with great vascular supply.

They have low myosin ATPase activity, High oxidative, Low glycolytic capacity.

These fibers are predominant in postural muscles as they provide low force but don't fatigue as easily as the others.

Type-IIa fibers are known as fast-twitch oxidative fibers.

They have high myosin ATPase activity, high oxidative, high glycolytic capacity.

Relatively resistant to fatigue

These fibers are recruited for power activities that require sustained effort, such as weight lifting for multiple repetitions.

Type-IIa fibers are the middle-ground type of fiber, between the slow but fatigue-resistant type-I fibers and the fast but fatigue-prone type-IIb fibers.

Type IIb fibers are known as fast-twitch glycolytic fibers.

They have high myosin ATPase activity, low oxidative, high glycolytic activity.

These fibers are recruited for high intensity, short-duration exercises such as full effort sprints.

With the introduction of progressively overloading exercise training, we can expect skeletal muscle fibers to hypertrophy, meaning they increase in diameter and volume.

Muscle contraction acts upon the skeleton and initiates movement. When a progressive force is applied to the muscles over time, they will adapt to the increasing load.

Satellite cells play a role in this repair and growth process. The process of exercise, whether through long-distance running or powerlifting, places a burden of stress on muscle fibers and bones, which causes micro-tears and trauma. In response to this, satellite cells are activated and mobilize to regenerate damaged muscle tissue. This process is made possible by the donation of a daughter nuclei from the satellite cells after multiplication and fusion. Bones will increase its mineral density over time to manage this increasing load.

Circulatory System

The circulatory system plays a critical role in maintaining homeostasis during exercise.

To accommodate the increased metabolic activity in skeletal muscle, the circulatory system must properly control the transport of oxygen and carbon dioxide, as well as help to buffer the pH level of active tissues. This action is accomplished by increasing cardiac output (increased heart rate and stroke volume) and modulating microvascular circulation. Also, the action of local vaso-mediators such as nitric oxide from endothelial cells helps to ensure adequate blood flow.

Blood flow is preferentially shunted away from the gastrointestinal (GI) and renal systems and toward active muscles through selective constriction and dilation of capillary beds. This increased skeletal muscle blood flow provides oxygen while facilitating the removal of carbon dioxide. The increased metabolic activity increases carbon dioxide concentrations and shifts the pH to the left, which further facilities erythrocytes (RBC) to extract carbon dioxide (CO2) and release oxygen (O2). On a mechanical level, RBCs that have been in circulation for a long time tend to be less compliant than younger RBCs, meaning that during exercise, older RBCs can be hemolyzed intravascularly when passing through capillaries in contracted muscles. This activity leads to an average decrease in RBC age since the younger RBCs have more favorable rheological properties. Younger RBCs also have increased oxygen release compared to older RBCs. Exercise increases erythropoietin (EPO) levels, which cause an increase in RBC production. Both of these factors improve the oxygen supply during exercise. Over time, vascularization in muscles also improves, further improving gas exchange and metabolic capacity.

Respiratory System

The respiratory system works in junction with the cardiovascular system. The pulmonary circuit receives almost all of the cardiac output. In response to the increased cardiac output, perfusion increases in the apex of each lung, increasing the available surface area for gas exchange (decreased alveolar dead space).

With more alveolar surface area available for gas exchange, and increased alveolar ventilation due to increased frequency and volume of respiration, blood gas and pH balance can be maintained.

Going into more detail, CO2 is one of the metabolic products of muscular activity.

CO2 is carried away from peripheral active tissues in various forms. The majority is transported in the form of bicarbonate, but a portion also travels as dissolved CO2 in plasma and as carbaminohemoglobin on RBCs.

CO2 readily dissolves into the cytosol of erythrocytes, where it is acted upon by carbonic anhydrase to form carbonic acid. Carbonic acid then spontaneously will dissociate into a hydrogen ion and bicarbonate.

After being transported to the lungs, a high oxygen environment (Haldane effect), this reaction is catalyzed in the opposite direction to reverse itself and produce CO2, which is exhaled and removed from the body.

In exercise of higher intensity, the volume of carbon dioxide (VCO2) eliminated per unit of time is sustained by the effect of the decreased alveolar dead space and increased tidal volume, as mentioned before.

Endocrine System

Plasma levels of cortisol, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine increase with maximal exercise and return to baseline after rest. The increase in levels is consistent with the increase in the sympathetic nervous system activation of the body.

Growth hormone is released by the pituitary gland to enhance bone and tissue growth.

Insulin sensitivity increases after long-term exercise.

Testosterone levels also increase, leading to enhanced growth, libido, and mood.

Function

Exercise has demonstrated many health benefits.[11][12] Through functional exercise, we can see benefits in but not limited to:

Cognition: Studies have shown exercising subjects to have higher concentration scores than non-exercising subjects.

Improved glycemic control and insulin sensitivity

Increased bone mineral density

Through a properly executed exercise program, the body adapts and becomes more efficient at performing various exercises.

Some of these adaptations are:

Musculoskeletal system

Increased muscle capillary perfusion

Increased strength due to muscle hypertrophy

Increased endurance due to increased muscular mitochondrial content

Cardiovascular

Increased blood vessel diameter

Increased capillary density

Decreased average blood pressure at rest or submaximal activity due to the increased efficiency

Mechanism

For muscles to contract, the body must hydrolyze adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to yield energy. The ways muscles maintain ATP levels is contingent upon the conditions of the body.

Muscles can utilize glucose or glycogen in both aerobic or anaerobic manners. The glycolytic energy system tends to lead to lactate accumulation and subsequent pH decrease in muscle tissue, especially in the anaerobic setting.

Aerobic metabolism is typically utilized in exercises such as walking, while anaerobic metabolism participates in a high-intensity activity such as weightlifting.

The major source of ATP for cells is through the oxidative phosphorylation pathway; this is part of the aerobic pathway that occurs on the inner mitochondrial membrane and produces much more ATP than other metabolic pathways.

Complex I: Receives electrons from NADH.

Complex II: Receives electrons from succinate; the electrons from NADH and succinate are transferred by coenzyme Q10 to complex III

Complex III: The electrons from here are transferred by cytochrome C to complex IV

Complex IV: Electrons at this subunit are accepted by oxygen, which yields water.

Complex V: ATP is created when the protons move back down the electron gradient.

During high-intensity exercises such as HIIT (high-intensity interval training), or intense weight training, muscles cycle through ATP rather quickly, resulting in a pool of ADP as a result. Phosphocreatine can donate a phosphate group to ADP to regenerate additional ATP, which affords muscle energy. Creatine kinase catalyzes this reaction.

During rest and low-intensity exercise, muscles can utilize fatty acids as substrates for energy production. Medium-chain fatty acids undergo beta-oxidation in the mitochondrial matrix. Long-chain fatty acids need to be transported from the cytosol into the mitochondria with the help of carnitine.

When a motor unit receives an excitation signal, the axon terminal releases acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter, onto receptors of the sarcolemma. This signal opens voltage-gated channels and creates an action potential which will pass along the T-tubules to conduct a coordinated signal deep into the muscle. When that depolarization reaches the sarcoplasmic reticulum, it will cause a release of its stored calcium ions.

When these calcium ions are released, they bind to troponin C in the sarcoplasm, which initiates unblocking of the actin-binding site on myosin due to tropomyosin. Essentially, calcium binds to troponin, which causes tropomyosin to unbind from the actin-myosin binding site exposing the site, which now allows the binding of actin and myosin together, which will create a contractile force and shortening of the sarcomere unit. ATP is hydrolyzed to ADP and phosphate when the myosin head causes this contraction. To relax from the contracted state, ATP must bind to myosin, which causes a release of the actin site and the return to the high energy state of myosin. This shortening and lengthening model is explainable by the sliding filament theory in which actin and myosin filaments slide past each other to shorten the length of the sarcomere. There are a few different types of muscle contractions.

Isometric contraction: The muscle is actively contracting, but there is no change in length due to equal and opposite forces in opposite directions.

Holding a plank position, or carrying in groceries with the arm halfway flexed and held in position.

Concentric contraction: The muscle is actively contracting and decreasing its length due to greater muscle force relative to its opposing force, which approximates its attachment and origin.

Eccentric contraction = the muscle is actively contracting yet still increasing its length; the muscle contracts with less force than its opposing force.

The "negative" portion of the exercise mentioned above

The lowering portion of the bicep curl (from arm flexion->arm extension), the lowering portion of the bench press (from arm extension and pectoral flexion to arm flexion and pectoral extension), and the lowering portion of a squat from standing to a squat position

Related Testing

Exercise capacity can be a useful measure of cardiovascular and pulmonary function. Impaired exercise tolerance can reflect dysfunction in any one of the involved organ systems. Symptom onset during a controlled exercise test can suggest conditions such as angina, peripheral vascular disease, or even exercise-induced asthma. Often, a thorough history taken from the patient can also recommend these conditions, but a supervised exercise test can be much more objective.

In the inquiry, to quantify exercise tolerance, a healthcare provider may ask the number of flights of stairs a patient can tolerate, or the number of blocks they can walk without stopping. It's important to note the time frame upon which exercise tolerance changes may be happening. Acute vs. chronic capacity changes can suggest different etiologies of disease.

VO2 is the consumption of oxygen and is explainable by the Fick equation.

This equation states that VO2 = [Cardiac Output] x [Difference in arterial and venous oxygen levels].

VO2max is a measure of aerobic exercise capacity, defined as the highest rate of oxygen uptake an individual can maintain during intense activity.

VO2max (in L of oxygen per minute) can be measured by having a subject perform an exercise on a treadmill or bicycle in increasing intensity. During the exercise, oxygen uptake is calculated by measuring the volumes and concentrations of inspired and expired gas.

As patients exercise and train, their VO2max may improve, but this is typically a function of oxygen delivery, not skeletal muscle oxygen extraction. Through training, oxygen delivery improves as a result of the increased cardiac output and capillary density.

Asymptomatic patients who are motivated can reproduce their VO2max during testing. Symptomatic patients who have congestive heart failure (CHF) or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may not be able to exert themselves to reach VO2Max fully. In cases such as these, we can utilize the 6-minute walk test as a standardized measure.

Exertional symptoms such as effort limited by dyspnea, angina, palpitations, or claudication imply a presence of disease that must require investigation.

Pathophysiology

In patients who provide reasonable effort during the test and reach a normal VO2peak (good effort without reaching VO2max) who state dyspnea or fatigue was their limiting factor during exercise, we can assume that they have a normal exercise tolerance.

In this case, we can assume that a cardiopulmonary issue such as CHF, interstitial lung disease (ILD), or COPD was not present. When testing these patients, we would be more likely to see an abnormal VO2peak with significant dyspnea.

In pulmonary diseases such as COPD and ILD, exercise intolerance may be due to an impairment in gas exchange being the limiting factor.

Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (exercise-induced asthma) is another pulmonary pathology to consider. It presents as difficulty breathing and wheezing during or after exercise. Objectively, it can be indicated by FEV1 decrease greater than 10% when compared to baseline.

In cardiac diseases, such as valvular abnormality, CHF, or CAD, exercise can be particularly dangerous. The increased demand on the heart can lead to myocardial strain. This issue becomes intensified in high temperature or high humidity exercise conditions. In response to the impaired evaporative cooling, vasodilation will occur to reduce body temperature, which leads to a compensatory increase in heart rate, which causes additional strain to the myocardial tissue.

Exercise intolerance can also arise due to metabolically/structurally dysfunctional muscle tissue. Myopathies are suggested when any significant cardiopulmonary issues are absent. Myopathies can present as muscle cramping or pain and are diagnosable with biopsy or genetic testing in some cases.

Exercise intolerance upon testing may be a result of poor effort or excessive perception of limiting symptoms. In both cases, objective measures such as lactate levels help differentiate true exercise limitations from alternate explanations of intolerance.

Over time, with extended periods of inactivity, skeletal muscles will atrophy, and the body will also become deconditioned. The recommendation is to have an approved physical therapy consultation and program for patients who are hospitalized for extended periods.

Lastly, it is essential to note that organ systems take time to adapt. If exercise intensity acutely increases past the body's ability to repair itself, negative consequences may result, such as muscle strains, tears, and stress fractures. Excessive training can also cause an adverse response in the immune system, while research shows that moderate-intensity exercise increases the immune response slightly.

Clinical Significance

Understanding basic exercise physiology is crucial as impaired exercise tolerance in patients can allude to signs of underlying disease when combined with modalities such as ECGs. Exercise testing can also help determine the goals of care and monitor prognosis and treatment progress.[13][14]

Through a standardized exercise test, one can determine the broad etiology of the exercise limitation and then pursue testing to narrow the differential to a specific cause.

Overall, understanding and applying exercise physiology can help to reduce time to diagnosis, improve outcomes, and ultimately improve patients' quality of life.

References

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Compared to our resting state, exercise poses a substantial increase in demand for the body. At rest, our nervous system maintains a parasympathetic tone, which affects the respiratory rate, cardiac output, and various metabolic processes.

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3. How can someone be PROACTIVE in each component (at least 3 examples for each)

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3. How can someone be PROACTIVE in each component (at least 3 examples for each)

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We are so adaptive that we can become accustomed to suffering! We quickly lose track of how difficult things actually are and how better we can feel than our current state.  Many of our clients don’t realize how bad things had become until they start to feel better, and then they can’t believe how long they tolerated the way they were experiencing life before. Knowing that we can’t see things clearly until we address what is going on and, only then, may realize how important it was that we took our mental health seriously – this is definitely an important reason to prioritize caring for ourselves.

Our mental health affects of kids, friendships, and love relationships. Though there are many obvious examples of our mental state affecting others, such as unmanaged or chronic anger leading to yelling at our children and them developing their own anger issues, anxiety disorders, and low self-esteem, there are also more subtle ways mental health affects our relationships. Many lose jobs because of subtle ways they make others feel bad at work or because their inner critic, depression or lack of motivation causes them to miss deadlines.  A parent’s depression may lead to not being “behind their eyes” when kids look at them to find approval there.

Unfortunately, for many issues we face we often can’t help ourselves. Even therapists (perhaps especially therapists!) have to be proactive about our mental health and receive help from others.  We just can’t solve all of our own issues or be our own therapist.  People need an outside perspective and loving attention.

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4. How can someone be REACTIVE in each component (at least 3 examples for each)

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4. How can someone be REACTIVE in each component (at least 3 examples for each)

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When we feel stressed, angry, or hurt, we tend to react impulsively. We are in a state of fight-or-flight and tend to react emotionally, that is, to overreact. That overreaction is emotional reactivity. In that moment, our perceptions of the situation are altered.

Slowing down and actively listening are essential to ward off emotional reactivity. When we listen actively, we are attempting to take in what the other is saying at face value. The goal is understand the message without letting our own biases, thoughts and emotions get in the way.

The minute we try to repress or push our feelings away, the sooner we feel defeated. As counterintuitive as it might seem, it’s better to feel through our emotions, to let them in and be okay with them, than to try to restrain them. We can do that in a way that doesn’t overwhelm our systems either.

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5. What are Risk Factors that you can Control in this component?

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5. What are Risk Factors that you can Control in this component?

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Mental illness, also called mental health disorders, refers to a wide range of mental health conditions disorders that affect your mood, thinking and behavior. Examples of mental illness include depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders and addictive behaviors. Many people have mental health concerns from time to time. But a mental health concern becomes a mental illness when ongoing signs and symptoms cause frequent stress and affect your ability to function. A mental illness can make you miserable and can cause problems in your daily life, such as at school or work or in relationships. In most cases, symptoms can be managed with a combination of medications and talk therapy (psychotherapy).

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6. Which Body System (DRRMUNCHIS) is impacted the most in each component? Explain

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6. Which Body System (DRRMUNCHIS) is impacted the most in each component? Explain

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A dysregulated nervous system can cause mental health symptoms such as anxiety, PTSD, OCD, ADHD, depression, insomnia, poor attention, poor memory, addiction, exhaustion.

It can lead to dysfunctional, inappropriate, or violent behaviour characterised by over-reaction (outbursts, tantrums, anger) or under-reaction (passivity, catatonia, withdrawal, shutting down) towards people, events and situations.

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https://www.mindhealth360.com/contributor/nervous-system-dysregulation/

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mental-illness/symptoms-causes/syc-20374968

https://deepeddypsychotherapy.com/5-reasons-for-mental-health-proactivity-blog-deep-eddy/

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One of the key contributors to mental health issues is a dysregulated nervous system. It affects, and is affected by, many of the other contributors listed on this website.

A dysregulated nervous system will often cause us to respond (thoughts, feelings, behaviour) in an apparently inappropriate (disproportional) way to an event, person, or situation, either by under-reacting or over-reacting.

It is usually caused by unresolved, unfinished stress responses from our past.

It can also be caused by other psycho-spiritual, lifestyle-behavioural and biochemical factors as listed below.

It can manifest as mental health symptoms (such as depression, anxiety and panic, sleep issues, poor memory, poor concentration and attention, irritability, exhaustion), and inappropriate behaviour (such as rage outbursts, passive aggression, being shut down, lying, being vindictive or particularly argumentative), which can further exacerbate problems with relationships and mental health.

What is the nervous system?

" The nervous system is a complex collection of nerves and specialised cells known as neurons that transmit signals between different parts of the body. It is essentially the body's electrical wiring"

"Structurally, the nervous system has two components:

the central nervous system (made up of the brain, spinal cord and nerves)

the peripheral nervous system (sensory neurons, ganglia (clusters of neurons) and nerves that connect to one another and to the central nervous system)"

"The nervous system has two main subdivisions:

the somatic, or voluntary, component (which consists of nerves that connect the brain and spinal cord with muscles and sensory receptors in the skin)

the autonomic, or involuntary component (which regulates certain body processes such as blood pressure, breathing, heart beat that work without conscious effort)"

When we talk of a dysregulated nervous system, we are referring to the autonomic nervous system, which causes us to think, feel and behave in ways that are driven by unconscious patterns and which generate automatic responses.

What does the autonomic nervous system do?

The autonomic nervous system's job is to keep us safe and alive.

The autonomic nervous system is divided into two systems: the sympathetic, and the parasympathetic

The sympathetic regulates our fight and flight response (which enables us to either fight, or run when in danger)

The parasympathetic regulates our rest and digest response (which enables us to recover, regenerate and digest our food)

Both sympathetic and parasympathetic are essential to keeping us safe

The autonomic nervous system and the polyvagal theory

More recently, Dr. Stephen Porges has developed a more nuanced understanding of the autonomic nervous system.

His research shows that the parasympathetic system has more to it than the rest and digest mode.

It also has a freeze or shutdown mode, mediated by the dorsal vagus, which allows us to freeze and immobilise when we are in danger but can neither fight nor flee (such as during childhood abuse).
This is our most primal threat response, and comes from the most primitive part of our brain, our reptilian brain.

It also has a social engagement system, mediated by the ventral vagus (hence poly-vagal), which allows for social engagement and connection with others in a constructive way when we feel safe.

This system is linked to our mammalian brain.

It ensures our survival, as mammals depend on connection with other mammals to thrive.

The polyvagal theory reframes our understanding of the autonomic nervous system as comprising (in descending chronological evolutionary order):

1. Social engagement mode

mediated by the ventral vagus

links to our prefrontal cortex and mammalian brain (limbic system)

part of our parasympathetic nervous system

2. Fight/flight mode

links to our mammalian brain (limbic system)

part of our sympathetic nervous system

3. Freeze mode

mediated by the dorsal vagus

links to our reptilian brain (limbic system)

part of our parasympathetic nervous system

Mixed response:

Sometimes, the social engagement system tempers the other two (fight-flight and freeze) to create situations of safety

Rough housing/play/wrestling: fight or flight tempered by our social engagement system

Intimacy: freeze response tempered by our social engagement system

What is a dysregulated nervous system?

Our nervous system is a fine tuned, sophisticated system designed to ensure our survival. When we encounter threat, it adapts its response - and consequently our behaviour - to our circumstances.

Depending on our circumstances, it may activate:

our sympathetic system, if we need to fight or flee

our parasympathetic system, if we need to rest and digest

our dorsal vagus, if we need to freeze

our ventral vagus, if we need to engage and connect with others

We are constantly and unconsciously reading our environment for cues of safety, or cues of danger, a process Dr. Stephen Porges calls "neuroception", and adjusting our behaviour to stay safe, depending on our circumstances.

If our nervous system is well regulated, we will respond appropriately to our circumstances and threats (thoughts, feelings, and behaviours), but once the threat is gone, our nervous system should return to homeostasis.

If, for instance, you are in a very stressful situation, with financial worries or difficult life circumstances for example, and are feeling extremely stressed and anxious, then your nervous system is responding appropriately to your external circumstances. Go to stress in order to find out more about how your current stress could be impacting your mental health and how to deal with it.

If our nervous system is dysregulated however, it is reacting to present circumstances on the basis of past stressors rather than current ones.

It gets stuck in a threat response, even once the threat has passed

So we still have physiological and biochemical manifestations of threat, even though our circumstances are safe

There is then a discrepancy between our physiological perception of threat (with the full biological cascade of neuroendocrine dysregulation), and our external reality

When our nervous system is dysregulated, we will have faulty neuroception which will cause us to over-react or under-react inappropriately, due to cues from our internal physiology which are mismatched with external circumstances.

Symptoms of a dysregulated nervous system

A dysregulated nervous system can cause mental health symptoms such as anxiety, PTSD, OCD, ADHD, depression, insomnia, poor attention, poor memory, addiction, exhaustion.

It can lead to dysfunctional, inappropriate, or violent behaviour characterised by over-reaction (outbursts, tantrums, anger) or under-reaction (passivity, catatonia, withdrawal, shutting down) towards people, events and situations.

Biochemically, it is usually accompanied by a dysregulated HPA axis, or imbalanced stress hormones.

This is because a dysregulated nervous system is caused by the same things that dysregulate the HPA axis and stress hormones, and the biochemical consequences of a dysregulated nervous system is a dysregulated HPA axis and imbalanced stress hormones.

Causes of a dysregulated nervous system

A dysregulated nervous system can be caused by a threat response from the past that does not complete the full cycle and does not get "finished" so it stays in our system, causing thoughts, feelings and behaviour that would be consistent with a threat even though there is none.

Or in the case of biochemical threats, as Dr. Naviaux points out in his "cell danger response", our bodies go into "defense" mode and get stuck there, even when the threat has passed, due to the cascade of neuroendocrine and inflammatory responses which create their own dysregulation in our physiologies.

There are many factors which can contribute to a dysregulated nervous system:

Psycho-spiritual factors:

Lifestyle-behavioural factors:

Biochemical factors:

While we don't often think of biochemical factors causing a dysregulated nervous system (we tend to think of the psychological and lifestyle factors), in fact, our bodies interpret threat in the same way, whether it is psychological or physiological.

Both cause a similar neuroendocrine chain reaction. So if our bodies are under chronic attack by toxins such as heavy metals or mould; infections such as Lyme disease or bartonella; or if our gut is full of pathogens, our bodies can interpret this as a vital threat to our physiology.

This can cause our nervous system to go into overdrive and get "stuck", spewing out stress hormones which unchecked, can cause systemic inflammation.

On a cellular level, this parallels Dr. Naviaux's cell danger response, in which cells get stuck in a threat response even once a threat has passed.

Consequences of a dysregulated nervous system

A dysregulated nervous system can cause mental health symptoms such as depression, anxiety, insomnia, poor attention and poor memory, but can also lead to behaviours which are unhelpful to living a healthy, balanced life, and cause:

Difficult relationships, whether with colleagues, partners, friends or family

Poor life choices (such as indulging in addictive substances or behaviours) due to trying to avoid the discomfort we feel from our nervous system dysregulation and ensuing mental health symptoms

Acting in ways which are short-sighted, unhealthy and destructive to ourselves and others because our thoughts and behaviours are ruled by our limbic system (the more primitive, emotional, reflexive part of the brain) rather than our prefrontal cortex (the more rational, executive, organised and planning function of the brain)

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Nervous system dysregulation - MindHealth360

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One of the key contributors to mental health issues is a dysregulated nervous system. It affects, and is affected by, many of the other contributors listed on this website. A dysregulated nervous system will often cause us to respond (thoughts, feelings, behaviour) in an apparently inappropriate (disproportional) way to an event, person, or situation, either by under-reacting or over-reacting.

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Emotional health is one aspect of mental health. It is your ability to cope with both positive and negative emotions, which includes your awareness of them. Emotionally healthy people have good coping mechanisms for negative emotions, and they also know when to reach out to a professional for help.

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2. How does SEESAWS impact each component: (please use the internet to help you find your information)

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2. How does SEESAWS impact each component: (please use the internet to help you find your information)

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sleep: Studies show people who are sleep deprived report increases in negative moods (anger, frustration, irritability, sadness) and decreases in positive moods. And sleeplessness is often a symptom of mood disorders, such as depression and anxiety.

eat: When you stick to a diet of healthy food, you're setting yourself up for fewer mood fluctuations, an overall happier outlook and an improved ability to focus, Dr. Cora says. Studies have even found that healthy diets can help with symptoms of depression and anxiety.

Exercise improves mental health by reducing anxiety, depression, and negative mood and by improving self-esteem and cognitive function. Exercise has also been found to alleviate symptoms such as low self-esteem and social withdrawal.

Stress has a psychological impact that can manifest as irritability or aggression, a feeling of loss of control, insomnia, fatigue or exhaustion, sadness or tears, concentration or memory problems, or more. Continued stress can lead to other problems, such as depression, anxiety or burnout.

Drugs affect a part of the brain known as the limbic system. This is the area responsible for processing our emotions. Drug-related changes to this area can contribute to depressed mood, mood swings, emotional outbursts, and persistent irritability

One study found that adults with excess weight had a 55% higher risk of developing depression over their lifetime compared to people that did not struggle with obesity. Other research linked being overweight with significant increases in major depression, bipolar disorder, and panic disorder or agoraphobia

saving sex for marriage: It may be common for couples to have sex before marriage, but a new study shows that couples who wait until marriage are happier with the quality of sex than couples who have intercourse before their vows.

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3. How can someone be PROACTIVE in each component (at least 3 examples for each)

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3. How can someone be PROACTIVE in each component (at least 3 examples for each)

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A proactive approach focuses on prevention. It features tools, strategies, and programs designed to help people feel and stay well, like daily meditation. This can overlap with early intervention, which identifies symptoms before they become more serious or chronic, such as screening for depression.

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4. How can someone be REACTIVE in each component (at least 3 examples for each)

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4. How can someone be REACTIVE in each component (at least 3 examples for each)

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When we feel stressed, angry, or hurt, we tend to react impulsively. We are in a state of fight-or-flight and tend to react emotionally, that is, to overreact. That overreaction is emotional reactivity.

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5. What are Risk Factors that you can Control in this component?

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5. What are Risk Factors that you can Control in this component?

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It is common to feel stress symptoms before or after a crisis. Natural and human-caused disasters can have a devastating impact on people’s lives because they sometimes cause physical injury, damage to property, or the loss of a home or place of employment. Anyone who sees or experiences this can be affected in some way. Most stress symptoms are temporary and will resolve on their own in a fairly short amount of time. However, for some people, particularly children and teens, these symptoms may last for weeks or even months and may influence their relationships with families and friends.

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6. Which Body System (DRRMUNCHIS) is impacted the most in each component? Explain

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6. Which Body System (DRRMUNCHIS) is impacted the most in each component? Explain

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Stress and strong emotions can present with respiratory symptoms, such as shortness of breath and rapid breathing, as the airway between the nose and the lungs constricts. For people without respiratory disease, this is generally not a problem as the body can manage the additional work to breathe comfortably, but psychological stressors can exacerbate breathing problems for people with pre-existing respiratory diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis).

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https://www.webmd.com/balance/what-to-know-about-emotional-health

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When picturing health, your mind may go directly to the physical. However, emotions also play a strong role in well-being. Studies have shown a connection between regulated mental health and the body's physical health. A more holistic health approach will consider the state of both your mind and body, often referred to as the mind-body connection.

Stay connected. Community is important. Plan regular shared time with friends and family members. Virtual connections are good, but seeing someone in person once in a while is helpful too.

Meditate. Meditation helps you to notice your thoughts and emotions, which is key to emotional wellness.

Watch how you talk about yourself. Negative self-talk can become a self-fulfilling prophecy, or just put you in a negative mindset. Work on creating a positive image of yourself with your words. Your thoughts may soon follow.

Set goals and celebrate your achievements. Give yourself something to strive for, and celebrate your accomplishments to build self-esteem and positive feelings about yourself.

Use substances in moderation. Sometimes drinking too much alcohol is a way to numb difficult emotions. Notice when you are using substances more than usual, and think about whether there's an emotional cause for this.

Learn strategies for resilience. This is your ability to react to difficult emotions and stressful situations. Many of the same things that help you with emotional health can also improve your resilience.

Get enough sleep. Studies show that a lack of sleep lessens your ability to sense the emotions of others and your ability to process emotions in general.

Exercise. Staying physically active for at least 30 minutes a day can help to improve your overall emotional health. The exercise doesn't need to be overly tough or intense. Just going for a walk or dancing around your house can help.

Find meaning in your life. Some people have jobs that give them a feeling of purpose, but that's not the only way to find meaning in your life. Something as simple as caring for a pet or volunteering for a cause that you're passionate about can also give you that feeling.

Know when to reach out for help. You don't have to handle negative emotions on your own. Knowing when to reach out to a mental health professional for help with difficult emotions is a useful skill to have. You should also reach out to one if you have tried to improve your emotional health, but still aren't feeling your best.

Emotional health is one aspect of mental health. It is your ability to cope with both positive and negative emotions, which includes your awareness of them. Emotionally healthy people have good coping mechanisms for negative emotions, and they also know when to reach out to a professional for help.

Emotional wellness is tied to physical health. People who experience great amounts of stress and negative emotions will sometimes develop other health problems. These problems are not caused directly by the negative feelings, but by behaviors that negative emotions can influence due to a lack of emotional regulation. For example, some people enjoy smoking cigarettes or drinking alcohol as a way to relieve stress. However, those habits put you at a greater risk for cancer, heart disease, and other illnesses.

Keep in mind that a person can experience mental illness or bad days, and still have good emotional wellness. Mental illnesses often have deeper causes like a chemical imbalance or trauma. Emotional health has more to do with emotional regulation, awareness, and coping skills, and these strategies can be used by people with or without a mental illness.

Some warning signs of emotional health in need of care include:

Isolating yourself from friends, family, or coworkers

Lower energy than usual

Sleeping too much or too little

Eating too much or too little

Increased use of substances

Racing thoughts

Lower performance at work

More interpersonal conflicts than usual

Feelings of irritability, guilt, hopelessness, or worthlessness

Neglecting hygiene and personal care

There are many ways to maintain or even improve your emotional health which include:

Living a balanced lifestyle. Try to have a good balance between work and your personal life, activity and resting, and moderation in all things.

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Find out what you need to know about emotional health, and discover the pros, cons, risks, and benefits, and how it may affect mental health.

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Social health can be defined as our ability to interact and form meaningful relationships with others. It also relates to how comfortably we can adapt in social situations. Social relationships have an impact on our mental health, physical health and mortality risk.

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2. How does SEESAWS impact each component: (please use the internet to help you find your information)

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2. How does SEESAWS impact each component: (please use the internet to help you find your information)

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Sleep loss also blunted activity in brain regions that normally encourage social engagement. “The less sleep you get, the less you want to socially interact. In turn, other people perceive you as more socially repulsive, further increasing the grave social-isolation impact of sleep loss,” Walker added.

eat: Because eating well can help you feel better physically and emotionally, it can make you more likely to seek and enjoy social activities. A study conducted at the University of Pennsylvania in 2016 linked good nutrition with positive social development in children.

exercise: One of the biggest social benefits of exercise is just that – an improved social life. Especially if you participate in team sports or exercise with a group, you'll develop greater empathy and social skills. You'll also make new friends and gain new social outlets.

stress: They may end up having difficulty negotiating smooth interpersonal relationships with spouses, children, friends, and co-workers, and end up becoming more isolated, frustrated and stressed than when they started. Many people experiencing negative stress simply do not have adequate forms of social support available.

avoid drugs: Other social problems associated with SUDs include housing instability, homelessness, criminal behaviors (victim or perpetrator) and incarceration, the transmission of HIV due to IV drug use or high-risk sexual behaviors, and unemployment or dependence on welfare.

weight control: Excess weight, especially obesity, diminishes almost every aspect of health, from reproductive and respiratory function to memory and mood. Obesity increases the risk of several debilitating, and deadly diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers.

save sex for marriage: A statistical analysis showed the following benefits enjoyed by couples who waited until marriage compared to those who started having sex in the early part of their relationship:

Relationship stability was rated 22 percent higher

Relationship satisfaction was rated 20 percent higher

Sexual quality of the relationship was rated 15 percent better

Communication was rated 12 percent better

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3. How can someone be PROACTIVE in each component (at least 3 examples for each)

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3. How can someone be PROACTIVE in each component (at least 3 examples for each)

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Another aspect to think about is what kind of people you want in your social circle. Do you prefer people who are artistic, or people who are tech-oriented? People who are outdoorsy or prefer to be indoors? Usually, you will get along best with individuals who are similar to you. So I advise you to consider your dominant traits and consciously decide which of these traits are important for you to find in others. If you know what kind of people you want in your life, you’re much more likely to find them.

My recommendation here is to think about activities where you are likely to meet people you’d enjoy interacting with, and get involved in a few of them. For instance, you may take a class on a topic you’re interested in. You may volunteer for a charity organization. Or join some sort of club. Even if you don’t have any friends whatsoever at this point, you can apply this strategy. You can get involved in such activities all by yourself, and you’ll meet others there.

Walk up to other people and introduce yourself to them. Then start chatting with them. For example, ask them how they found out about the event, how long they’ve been interested in urban photography, segue from there into other topics, and if they seem to enjoy talking to you (which they almost always will), keep the conversation going.

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4. How can someone be REACTIVE in each component (at least 3 examples for each)

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4. How can someone be REACTIVE in each component (at least 3 examples for each)

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When you go to the chiropractor, depending on the style of practice they run, you may hear a lot of talk about preventive care vs reactive medicine. Preventive, when used as an adjective in the context of medicine, means “designed to keep something undesirable such as illness, harm, or accidents from occurring”. Reactive medicine is focused on treating symptoms after they show up. If you woke up one morning with a fever, you’d consider going to the hospital or clinic where you’d probably get prescribed some antibiotics to fight the infection.

Chiropractic care is very often reactive, too. The chiropractic field is a leader in pain management and neuromusculoskeletal symptom relief. If you wake up with back pain, chances are someone will recommend you go visit the chiropractor, but an important factor to consider is investing in your health before there is a problem versus after.

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5. What are Risk Factors that you can Control in this component?

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5. What are Risk Factors that you can Control in this component?

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There is growing recognition that social risk factors – such as poverty, minority race and/or ethnicity, social isolation, and limited community resources – play a major role in health, and significant gaps remain in health and in life expectancy based on poverty, race, ethnicity, and community environment.

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6. Which Body System (DRRMUNCHIS) is impacted the most in each component? Explain

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6. Which Body System (DRRMUNCHIS) is impacted the most in each component? Explain

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Physiological regulatory systems thought to be affected by social and environmental stressors have included the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis; sympathetic (autonomic) nervous system; and immune/inflammatory, cardiovascular, and metabolic systems. These systems overlap peripherally and in the brain.

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https://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/4-proactive-strategies-build-social-life.html

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Eugene Cheng
Eugene is Lifehack's Entrepreneurship Expert. He is the co-founder and creative lead of HighSpark, offering presentation training for companies. Read full profile

You're standing behind the curtain, just about to make your way on stage to face the many faces half-shrouded in darkness in front of you. As you move towards the spotlight, your body starts to feel heavier with each step. A familiar thump echoes throughout your body - your heartbeat has gone off the charts.

Don't worry, you're not the only one with glossophobia(also known as speech anxiety or the fear of speaking to large crowds). Sometimes, the anxiety happens long before you even stand on stage.

Your body's defence mechanism responds by causing a part of your brain to release adrenaline into your blood - the same chemical that gets released as if you were being chased by a lion.

Here's a step-by-step guide to help you overcome your fear of public speaking:

1. Prepare yourself mentally and physically

According to experts, we're built to display anxiety and to recognize it in others. If your body and mind are anxious, your audience will notice. Hence, it's important to prepare yourself before the big show so that you arrive on stage confident, collected and ready.

"Your outside world is a reflection of your inside world. What goes on in the inside, shows on the outside." - Bob Proctor

Exercising lightly before a presentation helps get your blood circulating and sends oxygen to the brain. Mental exercises, on the other hand, can help calm the mind and nerves. Here are some useful ways to calm your racing heart when you start to feel the butterflies in your stomach:

Warming up

If you're nervous, chances are your body will feel the same way. Your body gets tense, your muscles feel tight or you're breaking in cold sweat. The audience will notice you are nervous.

If you observe that this is exactly what is happening to you minutes before a speech, do a couple of stretches to loosen and relax your body. It's better to warm up before every speech as it helps to increase the functional potential of the body as a whole. Not only that, it increases muscle efficiency, improves reaction time and your movements.

Here are some exercises to loosen up your body before show time:

1. Neck and shoulder rolls - This helps relieve upper body muscle tension and pressure as the rolls focus on rotating the head and shoulders, loosening the muscle. Stress and anxiety can make us rigid within this area which can make you feel agitated, especially when standing.

2. Arm stretches - We often use this part of our muscles during a speech or presentation through our hand gestures and movements. Stretching these muscles can reduce arm fatigue, loosen you up and improve your body language range.

3. Waist twists - Place your hands on your hips and rotate your waist in a circular motion. This exercise focuses on loosening the abdominal and lower back regions which is essential as it can cause discomfort and pain, further amplifying any anxieties you may experience.

Stay hydrated

Ever felt parched seconds before speaking? And then coming up on stage sounding raspy and scratchy in front of the audience? This happens because the adrenaline from stage fright causes your mouth to feel dried out.

To prevent all that, it's essential we stay adequately hydrated before a speech. A sip of water will do the trick. However, do drink in moderation so that you won't need to go to the bathroom constantly.

Try to avoid sugary beverages and caffeine, since it's a diuretic - meaning you'll feel thirstier. It will also amplify your anxiety which prevents you from speaking smoothly.

Meditate

Meditation is well-known as a powerful tool to calm the mind. ABC's Dan Harris, co-anchor of Nightline and Good Morning America weekend and author of the book titled 10% Happier , recommends that meditation can help individuals to feel significantly calmer, faster.

Meditation is like a workout for your mind. It gives you the strength and focus to filter out the negativity and distractions with words of encouragement, confidence and strength.

Mindfulness meditation, in particular, is a popular method to calm yourself before going up on the big stage. The practice involves sitting comfortably, focusing on your breathing and then bringing your mind's attention to the present without drifting into concerns about the past or future - which likely includes floundering on stage.

Here's a nice example of guided meditation before public speaking:

2. Focus on your goal
Do I look funny? What if I can't remember what to say? Do I look stupid? Will people listen to me? Does anyone care about what I'm talking about?'
One thing people with a fear of public speaking have in common is focusing too much on themselves and the possibility of failure.

Instead of thinking this way, shift your attention to your one true purpose - contributing something of value to your audience.

Decide on the progress you'd like your audience to make after your presentation. Notice their movements and expressions to adapt your speech to ensure that they are having a good time to leave the room as better people.

If your own focus isn't beneficial and what it should be when you're speaking, then shift it to what does. This is also key to establishing trust during your presentation as the audience can clearly see that you have their interests at heart.

3. Convert negativity to positivity
'What if I mess up this speech? What if I'm not funny enough? What if I forget what to say?'
There are two sides constantly battling inside of us - one is filled with strength and courage while the other is doubt and insecurities. Which one will you feed?

It's no wonder why many of us are uncomfortable giving a presentation. All we do is bring ourselves down before we got a chance to prove ourselves. This is also known as a self-fulfilling prophecy - a belief that comes true because we are acting as if it already is. If you think you're incompetent, then it will eventually become true.

Motivational coaches tout that positive mantras and affirmations tend to boost your confidents for the moments that matter most. Say to yourself: "I'll ace this speech and I can do it!"

Take advantage of your adrenaline rush to encourage positive outcome rather than thinking of the negative 'what ifs'.

Here's a video of Psychologist Kelly McGonigal who encourages her audience to turn stress into something positive as well as provide methods on how to cope with it:

4. Understand your content

Knowing your content at your fingertips helps reduce your anxiety because there is one less thing to worry about. One way to get there is to practice numerous times before your actual speech.

However, memorizing your script word-for-word is not encouraged. You can end up freezing should you forget something. You'll also risk sounding unnatural and less approachable.

"No amount of reading or memorizing will make you successful in life. It is the understanding and the application of wise thought that counts." - Bob Proctor

Many people unconsciously make the mistake of reading from their slides or memorizing their script word-for-word without understanding their content - a definite way to stress themselves out.

Understanding your speech flow and content makes it easier for you to convert ideas and concepts into your own words which you can then clearly explain to others in a conversational manner. Designing your slides to include text prompts is also an easy hack to ensure you get to quickly recall your flow when your mind goes blank.

One way to understand is to memorize the over-arching concepts or ideas in your pitch. It helps you speak more naturally and let your personality shine through. It's almost like taking your audience on a journey with a few key milestones.

5. Practice makes perfect

Like most people, many of us are not naturally attuned to public speaking. Rarely do individuals walk up to a large audience and present flawlessly without any research and preparation.

In fact, some of the top presenters make it look easy during showtime because they have spent countless hours behind-the-scenes in deep practice. Even great speakers like the late John F. Kennedy would spend months preparing his speech beforehand.

Public speaking, like any other skill, requires practice - whether it be practicing your speech countless of times in front of a mirror or making notes. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect!

6. Be authentic

There's nothing wrong with feeling stressed before going up to speak in front of an audience.

Many people fear public speaking because they fear others will judge them for showing their true, vulnerable self. However, vulnerability can sometimes help you come across as more authentic and relatable as a speaker.

Drop the pretence of trying to act or speak like someone else and you'll find that it's worth the risk. You become more genuine, flexible and spontaneous, which makes it easier to handle unpredictable situations - whether it's getting tough questions from the crowd or experiencing an unexpected technical difficulty.

To find out your authentic style of speaking is easy. Just pick a topic or issue you are passionate about and discuss this like you normally would with a close family or friend. It is like having a conversation with someone in a personal one-to-one setting. A great way to do this on stage is to select a random audience member(with a hopefully calming face) and speak to a single person at a time during your speech. You'll find that it's easier trying to connect to one person at a time than a whole room.

With that said, being comfortable enough to be yourself in front of others may take a little time and some experience, depending how comfortable you are with being yourself in front of others. But once you embrace it, stage fright will not be as intimidating as you initially thought.

Presenters like Barack Obama are a prime example of a genuine and passionate speaker:

7. Post speech evaluation

Last but not the least, if you've done public speaking and have been scarred from a bad experience, try seeing it as a lesson learned to improve yourself as a speaker.

Don't beat yourself up after a presentation

We are the hardest on ourselves and it's good to be. But when you finish delivering your speech or presentation, give yourself some recognition and a pat on the back.

You managed to finish whatever you had to do and did not give up. You did not let your fears and insecurities get to you. Take a little more pride in your work and believe in yourself.

Improve your next speech

As mentioned before, practice does make perfect. If you want to improve your public speaking skills, try asking someone to film you during a speech or presentation. Afterwards, watch and observe what you can do to improve yourself next time.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself after every speech:

How did I do?

Are there any areas for improvement?

Did I sound or look stressed?

Did I stumble on my words? Why?

Was I saying "um" too often?

How was the flow of the speech?

Write everything you observed down and keep practicing and improving. In time, you'll be able to better manage your fears of public speaking and appear more confident when it counts.

If you want even more tips about public speaking or delivering a great presentation, check out these articles too:

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4 Proactive Strategies to Build a Social Life

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Eugene Cheng Eugene is Lifehack's Entrepreneurship Expert. He is the co-founder and creative lead of HighSpark, offering presentation training for companies. Read full profile You're standing behind the curtain, just about to make your way on stage to face the many faces half-shrouded in darkness in front of you.

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What I learned about physical health is that the better you eat and exercise u can do a lot of physical things and be healthy to live a long life