Got Stress?

If you have a brain tumor or are a brain tumor survivor or are a caregiver for someone who does, odds are you have some stress in your life. And if you do, stress is something you don’t need.

According to an article on Health.com by Kate Lowenstein, “You can actually train your brain to be less anxious. Recent studies have found that both cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) -- more about this in a minute -- and mindfulness techniques can make positive changes to your gray matter, ones actually visible in a brain scan.”

Lowenstein goes on to write that “CBT centers on the idea that we can free ourselves from a lot of angst by becoming aware of our distorted view of situations, particularly stressful ones, and adjusting our behaviors accordingly.

A 2012 review concluded that CBT can enlarge the prefrontal cortex -- the part of the brain associated with weighing thoughts and making decisions -- and reduce the size of the amygdala, the region associated with stress and fear.”

Interested? Here’s a link to the article: http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/24/health/health-stress-free-life/index.html