Articles from Michael Rayel | Selfgrowth.com

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    • Three Practical Laws for Personal Development - by Michael G. Rayel, MD
      Submitted on Dec 14, 2009 from Michael Rayel
      For the past few weeks, I’ve been reading a book which I bought in 2006 but forgot or deferred to read because I thought it was just a rehash of old, worn-out ideas. Anyway, the book “The Laws of Lifetime Growth” by Sullivan and Nomura has been uniquely engaging. For its size — a small, 127- ...
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    • Dealing with Back-to-School Stress through Simple Exercises - by Michael G. Rayel, MD
      Submitted on Dec 14, 2009 from Michael Rayel
      Many parents feel stressed before and during school openings, when kids have to wake up earlier than usual, when they have to wrestle with new school mates and new teachers. As well, kids demand latest jeans and designer shirts just to keep up with peers. And who shell out the required funds ...
      Views:1332
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    • Chasing Your Dreams - by Michael G. Rayel, MD
      Submitted on Apr 22, 2009 from Michael Rayel
      “Mike, wake up! You’re daydreaming again!” My best friend in childhood used to accuse me of daydreaming. I’d just laugh each time he would lead me back from my fantasy land to reality. Everyone daydreams. But while others are preoccupied with the miseries of current realities, some dream about ...
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    • How to Be Inspired - by Michael G. Rayel, MD
      Submitted on Apr 22, 2009 from Michael Rayel
      With all this talk of recession, of global economic crisis, of failing banks and creeping foreclosures, of unpaid credit card debts, of mounting monthly bills, how can you stay motivated? How can you maintain your momentum when under extreme pressure? When the world is full of negativity and ...
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    • Emotional Intelligence: A Tool For Success - by Michael G. Rayel, MD
      Submitted on Sep 20, 2008 from Michael Rayel
      Do you know what emotional intelligence (EI or EQ) is and how it can benefit your life? Do you know how to manage your emotion so you can propel yourself to the next level? In short, do you have the EQ edge for success? There’s so much talk about emotional intelligence and how it can ...
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    • How To Survive A Loss - by Michael G. Rayel, MD
      Submitted on Nov 13, 2007 from Michael Rayel
      Our community has suffered a blow this week. Dr. Albert O’Mahony, a revered Clarenville family doctor for years, met an untimely death. Only a few weeks ago, I had seen him walk in our neighborhood with Donna. He then greeted us with his signature broad grin and vibrant demeanor. Not ...
      Views:1347
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    • Five Ways To Assert Yourself - by Michael G. Rayel, MD
      Submitted on Oct 10, 2007 from Michael Rayel
      A nice lady who sat beside me on a plane narrated her life after learning that I’m a practicing psychiatrist. “I can’t say ‘no.’ That’s my problem for years. I‘m now 68 years old and I still try to please everyone except myself. I feel guilty if I say ...
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    • The Power Of Procrastination - by Michael Rayel
      Submitted on Sep 24, 2007 from Michael Rayel
      “Something is wrong. How can procrastination be effective?” “That’s impossible. I can’t believe it. You’re just kidding.” “No, I’m not. I really believe that procrastination can be positive at times. And I mean it,” I argued with a ...
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    • Parenting 101: How Can Traditional Games Benefit Your Child? - by Michael G. Rayel, MD
      Submitted on May 20, 2007 from Michael Rayel
      For the past few years, I’ve talked to parents complaining about their kids and their online or computer habits. “They spend too much time playing online games. No time for homework,” reports a single mom. “When my child loses a game, he yells at me,” adds a ...
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    • Parenting: Mission Possible - by Michael G. Rayel, MD
      Submitted on May 02, 2007 from Michael Rayel
      “As parents, what’s really our role?” I asked a group of parents during my lecture on family and emotional intelligence. Each one had an opinion about children and parenting. “Feed them,” said one. “Clothe them,” said another. Soon, others shared their ...
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    • The CARE Approach: A Practical Way to Prevent Suicide - by Michael G. Rayel, MD
      Submitted on May 02, 2007 from Michael Rayel
      “Only two things are certain in this world — change and death.” A relative told us this as we gathered in the balcony one summer evening many years ago. For a young boy, those words sounded strange and profound. As a physician, I’ve realized that change and death are ...
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    • Major Depression and Its Serious Complications - by Michael G. Rayel, MD
      Submitted on May 30, 2005 from Michael Rayel
      When suffering from clinical depression, people have different ways of confronting it. Some acknowledge it, face it just like any problem, and seek help. Some ignore it as if it doesn’t exist. And others simply accept that it’s there but they don’t do anything about it. In fact, they don’t even ...
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    • Emotional Intelligence: The Basics - by Michael G. Rayel, MD
      Submitted on Mar 31, 2005 from Michael Rayel
      There’s so much talk about emotional intelligence and how it can promote personal and business success. What is it really? What are its basic tenets? Emotional intelligence is the capacity to recognize, understand, and manage one’s emotions and that of others. This “intelligent” concept focuses ...
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    • Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Nightmare After The Ordeal - by Michael G. Rayel, MD
      Submitted on Mar 22, 2005 from Michael Rayel
      Sarah is a 28 y/o accountant who had a traumatic past that she kept to herself. At age 15, she was grabbed by a masked man while she was jogging in a park. The man threatened to kill her with a knife and brutally raped her. She screamed but nobody seemed to have heard her. Since that time, ...
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    • Panic Attacks: Effective Ways to Cope - by Michael G. Rayel, MD
      Submitted on Feb 19, 2005 from Michael Rayel
      Jill is a 21 y/o college student who used to do well until about a few months ago when she started to experience “weird” attacks almost daily. She described her experience as “horrible.” When she has the attack, she feels that she’s about to die or develop a stroke. One day while she was in a ...
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    • Make Role Modeling a Hobby - by Michael G. Rayel, MD
      Submitted on Nov 21, 2004 from Michael Rayel
      Like in most families, children are around you everyday. Whatever you show to your children is what you teach and impart to them regardless of your intentions. In the eyes of your children, you are a teacher. Everyday you are teaching “live” — whether you like it or not. You’re like a walking ...
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    • How Do You Know if You Have Manic-Depression - by Michael G. Rayel, MD
      Submitted on Oct 19, 2004 from Michael Rayel
      Nancy was doing very well until about two years ago when Phil, her boyfriend of 9 years, broke-up with her. It was a difficult moment for her especially after she learned that Phil eventually married her cousin. Since then, Nancy had deteriorated. One evening, she was involved in a motor ...
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    • Is Dysthymic Disorder a Second-Rate Depression? - by Michael G. Rayel, MD
      Submitted on Sep 24, 2004 from Michael Rayel
      Dysthymic Disorder, used to be called Dysthymia, is a low-grade and yet chronic depression characterized by feelings of sadness or depression associated with lack of interest to do things and some physical symptoms such as lack of energy, sleep, and concentration. Psychological symptoms such as ...
      Views:1373
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    • How Distressing is Social Phobia? - by Michael G. Rayel, MD
      Submitted on Sep 12, 2004 from Michael Rayel
      I remember a friend in college who would blush, sweat, and tremble when required by a teacher to speak in class. A few weeks before the presentation, he’d be anxious, agitated, and couldn’t sleep. Because I was still a student then, I didn’t have any clue what he was going through. But I knew ...
      Views:1598
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    • How Distressing is Social Phobia? - by Michael G. Rayel, MD
      Submitted on Sep 12, 2004 from Michael Rayel
      I remember a friend in college who would blush, sweat, and tremble when required by a teacher to speak in class. A few weeks before the presentation, he’d be anxious, agitated, and couldn’t sleep. Because I was still a student then, I didn’t have any clue what he was going through. But I knew ...
      Views:1598
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      Your rating: None Average: 4 ( 2 votes)
    • How Distressing is Social Phobia? - by Michael G. Rayel, MD
      Submitted on Sep 12, 2004 from Michael Rayel
      I remember a friend in college who would blush, sweat, and tremble when required by a teacher to speak in class. A few weeks before the presentation, he’d be anxious, agitated, and couldn’t sleep. Because I was still a student then, I didn’t have any clue what he was going through. But I knew ...
      Views:1598
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      Your rating: None Average: 4 ( 2 votes)
    • Behavioral Manifestations of Alzheimer’s Dementia - by Michael G. Rayel, MD
      Submitted on May 24, 2004 from Michael Rayel
      Alzheimer’s Dementia has a combination of cognitive and behavioral manifestations. Cognitive impairment is the core problem which includes memory deficits and at least one of the following: aphasia or language problem, agnosia or problems with recognition, apraxia or motor activity problem, and ...
      Views:1553
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    • Are All Dementias Alzheimer’s? - by Michael G. Rayel, MD
      Submitted on Apr 05, 2004 from Michael Rayel
      I’m surprised when some patients and caregivers confuse dementia and Alzheimer’s as one and the same. Each time a family member is suffering from memory loss, the conclusion is always Alzheimer’s. Is it reasonable to label all dementias as Alzheimer’s? As a clinician, my answer to queries is ...
      Views:1322
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    • Major Depression and Manic-Depression — Any difference? - by Michael G. Rayel, MD
      Submitted on Mar 16, 2004 from Michael Rayel
      Countless number of patients and their family members have asked me about manic–depression and major depression. “Is there any difference?” “Are they one and the same?” “Is the treatment the same?” And so on. Each time I encounter a chorus of questions like these, I am enthused to provide ...
      Views:1444
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    • Depression Series (Part 2): My Antidepressant Doesn’t Work. What Can My Psychiatrist Do? - by Michael G. Rayel, MD
      Submitted on Dec 20, 2003 from Michael Rayel
      Maria has been increasingly depressed for the past few years. She has tried at least four newer antidepressants but so far, she doesn’t seem to respond. Unable to work, she’s now feeling helpless and hopeless. Likewise, her family is discouraged. Frustrated and baffled by Maria’s lack of ...
      Views:1287
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    • Can You Make a Torpedo?Out of Personal Junk? How to Optimize What You Have - by Michael G. Rayel
      Submitted on Nov 25, 2003 from Michael Rayel
      Junkyard Wars, a TV series showed two teams of experts contending for a title. The aim of the competition was for teams to construct a torpedo that can hit a target. But the challenge was more than just the process of construction. The challenge was creating a torpedo out of a junk. Each team ...
      Views:2620
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    • How to Prevent Suicide - by Michael G. Rayel
      Submitted on Nov 09, 2003 from Michael Rayel
      A British weapon’s inspector was found dead in the woods after he slashed his wrist. For the past few weeks, he was entangled with a controversy about the war in Iraq. On Monday, a Hyundai executive leaped to his death from the 12th floor. He was on trial for allegedly paying off North Korea ...
      Views:3841
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    • A Sure Way to Fight Stress - by Michael G. Rayel
      Submitted on Nov 09, 2003 from Michael Rayel
      I usually put my children to sleep. Routinely, each one takes turn saying prayers before dozing off. “Dear heavenly Father, thank you for my family and relatives and for all the blessings. Thank you for giving me only good dreams and good thoughts.” As this prayer echoes around the room, it ...
      Views:1173
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    • Who Needs a Rear-view Mirror? Successful Living by Mastering Our Past - by Michael G. Rayel
      Submitted on Nov 09, 2003 from Michael Rayel
      When driving, we need to check our rear-view mirror every few minutes to perceive dangers lurking behind — tailgaters, hecklers, over speeding cars, and drivers under the influence. Aside from anticipating threats, it helps us contemplate our next move, giving us enough time to be cautious ...
      Views:1284
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