1.2- PATRONES DE PRESENTACION

• Recognize that no one job (or personal relationship) is a total solution for life. Strive for variety in work; avoid routine.

• Put priorities into perspective; stop trying to be “all things to all people.”

• Differentiate between authentic personal goals and those foisted on you by others.

• Learn to accept reality and assume responsibility for yourself.

• Set aside personal time (no phone, no TV, no eating or reading) and answer the vital questions, “Where am I going?,” “What do I want to achieve?,” and “How am I going to do it?”

• Develop competence in simple tasks to enhance your self-confi dence and self-esteem, increase opti- mism and lift depression.

• Create an “outside life” of family, friends, interests, and activities unrelated to your work.

• Develop a support system that emphasizes problem solving; for example, “How can I improve on this situation.”

and bowel disorders. The burnout victim desires to be alone, is irritable, impatient and withdrawn, and complains of boredom, difficulty concen- trating, and burdensome work. Fellow workers may notice indecisiveness, indifference, impaired performance, and high absenteeism. Intellectual curiosity declines, identity diffuses, and interper- sonal relationships deteriorate. “Overloaded,” “tired of thinking,” and “I don’t know what I’m doing anymore,” express the inner agony and stress of burnout sufferers.

Burnout victims are often high achievers, work- aholics, idealists, competent, self-sufficient, and overly conscientious individuals. Their common denominator is the assumption that the real world will be in harmony with their ideals. They often hold unrealistic expectations of themselves, their employers, and society, and often have a vague definition of personal accomplishment. In their attempt to gain some distance from their source of anguish, they contract their world down to the smallest possible dimension and/or take on more and more work.

Recovery from burnout is possible through redis- covery of true self and the formation of a revised outlook about one’s life. Realistic goals and nurtur- ing activities often help resolve burnout.

See also ANXIETY; BOREDOM, FEAR OF; CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME; CONTROL; DEPRESSION; HOBBIES; RELAXATION; STRESS.

Kahn, Ada P., The Encyclopedia of Stress and Stress-related Dis-

orders, 2nd ed. (New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006).

Kahn, Ada P., and Jan Fawcett, The Encyclopedia of Mental

Health, 2nd ed. (New York: Facts On File, 2001).

Riess, Dorothy Young, Better Health Newsletter 3, no. 1 (February 1987).

butterflies, fear of Individuals who fear butter- flies, moths, and other flying insects fear that the flying insect may attack them. Some phobics avoid enclosed areas out of fear that they may be trapped with the insect. Some phobics actually have acci- dents while trying to avoid butterflies and moths.

See also BEES, FEAR OF; FLYING THINGS, FEAR OF; INSECTS, FEAROF.

Melville, Joy, Phobias and Obsessions (New York: Coward, McCann & Geoghegan, 1977).

“butterflies in the stomach” The feeling of uneas- iness in the stomach is often referred to as “but- terflies.” Caused by a contraction of the abdominal blood vessels, this is a common experience among those who must make a speech in public, perform before an audience, appear for a job interview, or participate in any other type of activity that causes feelings of nervousness or apprehension.

See also ADRENALINE; NERVOUS.

cacomorphobia Fear of fat people. cacophobia Fear of ugliness.

caffeine A naturally occurring substance in tea leaves, cocoa and coffee beans, and kola nuts, caffeine is sometimes added to food and drink. Excessive con- sumption of caffeinated products can lead to anxiety and PANICATTACKS. It can also cause a low level of physical and psychological dependency. Caffeine is probably the most popular drug in the world.

Caffeine is a stimulant of the CENTRAL NERVOUS

SYSTEM, and it is primarily consumed in coffee

and tea. It is also consumed in cola drinks, cocoa, some headache pills, diet pills, and patent stimu- lants, such as Caffedrine, NoDoz, Vivarin, and other products. Caffeine is naturally present in chocolate products, with significantly higher concentrations found in dark chocolate than in milk chocolate.

(See the table at left for the range of milligrams in many common caffeinated products.)

Most adults who consume caffeine receive about two-thirds of their daily consumption from coffee, while children receive about half of their daily caf- feine consumption from soft drinks.

Caffeine belongs to the family of methylxan- thines (1, 3, 7-trimethylxanthine). A naturally occurring alkaloid found in many plants through- out the world, caffeine was first isolated from coffee in 1820 and from tea leaves in 1827. Both coffee and caffeine are derived from the Arabic word gahweh (pronounced “kehveh” in Turkish).

When consumed in beverage form, caffeine reaches all body tissues within five minutes; peak blood levels occur in about 30 minutes. Normally caffeine is rapidly and completely absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. Little can be recovered unchanged in urine, and there is no day-to-day accumulation of the drug in the body.

Pregnant women should carefully limit their con- sumption of caffeine, because excessive amounts may slow the growth of the fetus or in some cases lead to a miscarriage. At most, pregnant women should not exceed 300 mg of caffeine per day, according to the National Institutes of Health. In addition, breast- feeding mothers should limit their consumption of caffeinated products because the caffeine will be present in the breast milk and nursing babies may become jittery and have trouble sleeping.

Negative Side Effects of Caffeine

Caffeine increases the heart rate and rhythm, affects the circulatory system, and acts as a diuretic. It also stimulates gastric acid secretion. Excessive amounts, such as greater than 400–500 mg a day, can cause a dangerous elevation in blood pressure, especially during stress.

C

AMOUNT OF CAFFEINE IN COMMON