Anxiety gets a bad rap. We often talk about it as something that needs to be "cured." But according to "Anxiety Toolkit" author and psychologist Alice Boyes, that's over-simplifying. With a little mental finesse, anxiety can be an ally. Boyes herself uses a simple thinking exercise to put her anxious nature to good use. "I make myself think of the worst that could happen and the best that could happen," she tells Business Insider. "Instead of just automatically assuming that something will have a negative outcome, I've trained my brain to see the possibility that it might have a positive one." It's a thinking exercise that dates back 2,300 years ago to the Stoic philosophers of Ancient Greece. "It's respecting my natural inclination to think through the worst that could happen," Boyes says. Imagining the worst helps her prepare. Channeling a tendency toward anxiety can be super helpful in the case of travel, she says, since she always has backup plans. For example, if a bus doesn't come and she needs to get somewhere, she's going to have already looked up the alternative route. And imagining the best helps her see options she would have otherwise skipped. "When I started my therapy practice, I contacted some magazine editors and said, 'Hey, I'm available if you need comments for your stories,'" she recalls. "I was thinking they would think, 'Who is this little person contacting us?' But it actually led to writing for magazines." After writing for magazines like Psychology Today, Boyes found that one of her key skills was translating the principles of therapy into advice people could use in their everyday lives. But she never would have had that realization unless she would have imagined positive outcomes — and ignored that voice in her head that said: Why am I doing this? This is silly. By thinking through the best and worst outcomes, you work with your emotional tendencies in a constructive way: • If you're a naturally anxious person, it will make use of the tendency to plan while training you to imagine more positive outcomes. • If you're a naturally optimistic person, it will make use of that dreaminess while keeping you prepared for what might happen. It's about making use of all of both styles. "All of these emotions have a positive role in people's lives," Boyes says. SEE ALSO: 9 Proven Tricks For Overcoming Anxiety And Fear Join the conversation about this story » NOW WATCH: Here's what it takes to master any job — not just be good at it
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Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Private investigator says he's close to answers over student's suicide
As hundreds of mourners gathered Tuesday in the Cretan village of Selli for the funeral of a 20-year-old whose body was found on Sunday in the northwestern Greek city of Ioannina, a private investigator, Giorgos Tsoukalis, acting on behalf of the family, said he was close to discovering what had prompted Vangelis Giakoumakis to take his own life.
Greek police, Europol crack trafficking ring
Sixteen people have been arrested in connection with an international human-trafficking ring that allegedly earned 8 million euros from smuggling Syrian migrants from Turkey into Greece, European police organization Europol announced in the Hague on Tuesday.
Greece must pay tranche for derivative on Friday
Payments on a swap originally arranged by Goldman Sachs Group Inc in 2001 are due on Friday, said a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified publicly.
Athens reacts to Eurogroup suggestion of capital controls
The chairman of the Eurogroup, Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem, on Tuesday became the first European Union official to suggest the possibility of capital controls to prevent Greece leaving the euro, drawing a furious reaction from Athens, which accused him of “blackmail.”
Greek PM to meet key leaders on fringe of summit in Brussels
With Greece rapidly running out of funds, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has proposed an urgent meeting on the sidelines of the European Union summit that begins on Thursday in a bid to reach an agreement that would allow Athens to get more funds.
Special committee on Greek debt is formed
House Speaker Zoe Constantopoulou on Tuesday announced the formation of a committee whose purpose will be to audit the country’s public debt.
Greek exit from the euro is not a risk worth taking
After governments of every hue failed convincingly to reform the economy, Greek voters in January elected a party that vowed to undo what progress ...
Greece students charged in bullying incidents
Greece, N.Y. - Three Greece Athena High School students will be charged with endangering the welfare of a child in connection with two bullying ...
Prosecutor demands ex-FinMin conviction
A Greek prosecutor demanded on Tuesday the conviction of former Finance Minister Giorgos Papaconstantinou. The defendant did not show any remorse for his actions, the Special court prosecutor said. Only Papaconstantinou had an interest to remove his relatives' names from ...
Greece wants to enhance military cooperation with Russia, says minister
Greece plans to enhance its military, technical and regional security cooperation with Russia, Deputy Defense Minister Kostas Isichos told Russian news website Sputnik in an interview on Tuesday. The minister said that Athens would benefit from increased technical support ...
Greeks don't want head-on clash with lenders
Greeks continue to be pessimistic about the prospects of the Greek economy and their own personal finances, but they don't want a head-on clash with Greece's European partners, according to an "Economic Barometer" poll unveiled on Monday. The ...
Greece and Europe: The Real Choice Is Win-Win or Lose-Lose
Greece and Europe may be nearing divorce. Following the recent Greek election where a new government was elected on an anti-austerity platform, an attempt to renegotiate the Greek Debt under the supervision of the so-called Troika (EU, Euro Zone and IMF) has, so far been inconclusive. The final agreement (or non-agreement) will be decided upon in the next few months. Some see these negotiations as a standard win-lose game: either Europe 'wins' and Greece 'loses' or vice versa. In this post, I argue that the real choice is between 'win-win' for both or 'lose-lose'. In developing my arguments, I must acknowledge my intellectual debt to a colleague and friend John Evdokias, for his perceptive insights. Argument 1: The Debt Issue Is Surprisingly Insignificant The debt issue, blown out of proportion by professional alarmists, is actually relatively trivial for many reasons. First the debt itself is small by global standards. 315 billion euros appears high, for you and for me but is small in the European and world economy. It can be managed. What is much more problematic is Greece's capacity to repay it, quickly, given current conditions. The debt is now 175 percent of GDP. To ask for quick repayment is like asking an unemployed worker to immediately reimburse his mortgage. Not possible. Second, since the debt is held not by the Mafia but by supposedly 'friendly' institutions, including the European Central Bank and the IMF, what should be at issue are convivial repayment modalities not the principle of repayment. These modalities involve (a) the date of maturity and (b) the rate of interest. Concerning the date of maturity, it may surprise the reader to discover that long term loans (some going to one hundred years) are increasing in popularity. At one point Disney Corporation obtained such a loan and as Evdokias pointed out "if a Mickey Mouse company can get such a loan, why not Greece". Some countries allow 100 year mortgages and some companies issue 100 year bonds. So, the option of a long term repayment of the Greek Debt would not be absurd. As far as the rate of interest is concerned, as we all know, we live in a period of very low rates and, in some cases actually negative. What that means is that lenders are now paying to lend, an aberration a few years ago but now more and more frequent. With that backdrop, a Greece-Europe divorce based on disagreement on debt repayment would be ridiculous. That's not how things are settled between members of the same family. Argument 2: Greece's Exit From the Eurozone Would Be Very Dangerous for Both Parties The 19 country Eurozone with a common currency, the euro, was designed as a work in progress A withdrawal from the Euro Zone and the adoption of a new national currency, may well offer short term benefits for Greece since, the new drachma will, most likely, be devalued thus making exports more competitive. But how long will that benefit last ? The strategy of devaluation works if one country devalues and not others. In the 1930s Western countries, faced with depression and mass unemployment, resorted to competitive devaluations, which cancelled each other out. As a result everyone lost. Furthermore, Grexit as it is called, may not be an isolated phenomenon. If successful, other countries may be tempted to follow suit, including Spain, Italy, France and even Germany. Grexit could be the first step to a break-up of the entire euro zone. It is very easy to destroy something and much more difficult to build it up. The negative momentum which this would entail over time, would be disastrous for the Old Continent and put the entire European Project in grave jeopardy. Argument 3: Beyond Economics, Serious Geopolitical Dangers Lurk for Both Parties If Greece decided to stay in the Euro Zone under humiliating conditions this would not be the end of the matter. Right now, the Syriza Government is the last bastion for left of center 'respectable' parties. If Syriza fails, then much more extreme and less 'respectable' parties from the far left and the far right, may be elected with ominous consequences. Greece will then be vulnerable to serious social upheaval. As socio-economic conditions deteriorate that upheaval may lead to armed violence, including a potential civil war. It must not be forgotten that Greece went through a particularly bloody civil, on class lines after the end of World War II where the extreme left opposed the extreme right. The scars are still there. Not only would an unstable and weakened Greece be bad news for itself, it would also be very bad news for the entire European Union. Beyond economics, Europe faces three additional threats. One comes from a newly aggressive Russia, seeking to reverse the demise of the Soviet Union and probably eager to obtain a geopolitical pied a terre in Greece. A second one comes from the disruptive ambitions of ISIS and radical jihadi terrorism. A third one comes from the disaffected euro-skeptics, all over the Continent, some advocating a departure from the European Union itself and others, promoting separatist movements ready to break up existing countries. The resulting balkanization of Europe would be bad, not only for this continent but for the world, because the European integration experiment which was started after the Second World War was initially seen as a model for better global integration. It could still serve as such a model, once it is restructured, perhaps even reinvented. To give all this up for a mere question of debt, in a world drowning in excess capital would be to show unbelievable myopia and even masochism. The Greece-Europe marriage can and must be saved. A reasonable accommodation is quite possible because of the win-win vs. lose-lose potential. As self appointed 'marriage counselor' my recommendations for this accommodation, in a subsequent post.
The Tsipras-Merkel Meeting Will Be to Break the Ice, Not Break Up
As the Greek state coffers look conspicuously empty and the tension created between the Finance Ministers of Greece and Germany doesn’t seem to ease up, the upcoming meeting between Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been the subject of wild speculation. On Monday, the two leaders spoke on the phone for 20 minutes and at the end of their conversation Merkel invited Tsipras to Berlin next Monday. The invite was certainly not for coffee and strudels. At the moment, relations between the two countries could not be worse. In Greece, mass media depict Germans as merciless Nazis who want to steal whatever’s left of the crisis-stricken country. On the other side of the trenches, German media portray Greeks as greedy beggars who want to live on other people’s money forever. Greece’s comeback is the demand for World War II reparations. As for the two Finance Ministers, they go at it like heavyweight champions. Recently Yanis Varoufakis was accused of extending the middle finger, literally, to Germany, while Wolfgang Schaeuble never misses the opportunity to state how undiplomatic, naive and clueless the new Greek government is. The first thing that comes to mind is that the German Chancellor wants to end this “cold war” between the two countries that, after all, are allies and partners. Contrary to Scheuble’s repeated jabs on Greece, Merkel never forgets to reiterate that Germany will do everything so that Greece remains in the Eurozone. She has also been suspiciously silent through all this bickering between the two countries. Maybe Schaeuble and Merkel play good cop/bad cop. Despite the orchestrated talk that a Grexit would be relatively bloodless for the Eurozone, Merkel knows that the blow will be hard. Euroskepticism is growing, the common currency has reached rock bottom, even little Iceland said “no, thanks” to the European Union. With Greece leaving the common currency bloc, Europe will lose face. And the German Chancellor doesn’t want that. There is a lot at stake if Greece leaves the Eurozone and looks for alliances elsewhere. The new Greek government has often hinted at it. A little flirting with Russia, new trade deals with China, a hinted threat that illegal immigrants will flood Europe via Greece, and all of a sudden, Tsipras seems like he has a negotiating ace up his sleeve. No wonder, then, Washington is anxious that negotiations between Greece and its creditors have a positive outcome for all. U.S. President Barack Obama has often shown interest in Greece’s bailout negotiations and has urged the German Chancellor to be more lenient with Athens. The country’s geopolitical position is crucial for the U.S. and NATO, much more so now that the Islamic State is approaching through Libya. On Tuesday, Tsipras asked to meet with the four key figures of Europe in the sidelines of Thursday’s European Union Summit in Brussels: European Central Bank President Mario Draghi, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Merkel, of course. The Greek problem is not on the summit agenda. Ukraine and Russia are the issues to be discussed. However, the Greek Prime Minister wants to include the issue on the agenda. So what this invitation probably means is that Merkel wants to deter Tsipras from distracting the summit. This way, she will also take the matter into her own hands. She will probably offer an “honorable compromise” that the cash-strapped Greek leader will accept. After all, he wanted a political solution to Greece’s financial problem. As it is now, no matter what the Greek negotiating team is trying, numbers don’t add up. It is very likely then that the German Chancellor wants to take credit for solving the Greek problem. It will be a personal victory for her if she manages to make the defiant Greeks finally comply to European rules. Eurozone stability will be restored, Greece will breathe, for a few months at least, and the German Chancellor will prove that she is the undisputed leader of Europe and at the same time she will please Obama. Especially knowing that on April 8 Tsipras is heading to Moscow to meet with Vladimir Putin.
Eurogroup President: Cyprus Scenario Possible for Greece
Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselboem said that his priority is to keep Greece in the Eurozone and strengthen the monetary union, however he stressed that all the possible scenarios need to be considered. The Eurozone has examined all the alternative solutions, in case Greece fails to meet the conditions agreed, including taking measures similar to those applied in Cyprus, argued Dijsselbloem during an interview to Dutch radio station BNR. “Think about Cyprus. The banks there limited withdrawals for a while, capital inflows and outflows were subject to numerous conditions, and so all kinds of scenarios are still conceivable,” he pointed out. “It is also important to keep Greece on track. The recovery in Greece went remarkably well, but due to political uncertainties, there will be setbacks. My political commitment is to keep the Eurozone intact and strengthen it, and that is where I will focus,” he stated. “The most severe cuts in the Greek economy are already in the past. They have a primary surplus so they can start repaying their government debt. The important issue is keeping the budget in line and not letting it deteriorate,” he said. Meanwhile, Dijsselbloem mentioned that attracting direct foreign investment and organizing the Greek taxation system still remains an important responsibility for the country. At the same time, he stressed that there is some delay in negotiations between Greece and the Eurozone.
Bicycle Tweed Run to Take Place in Greece
Once again, cycling enthusiasts will have the opportunity to enjoy a bike ride in the beautiful Greek island of Spetses. The Tweed Run is a metropolitan bicycle ride with a bit of style, which was established in London around 2009 and since then it has taken place in some of the most important metropolises across the world. After its successful launch in Greece, last November, the Tweed Run will return to Spetses, on March 28 and 29. People dressed in style will parade once more around the Saronic Gulf island, on their antique bicycles. Cycling enthusiasts who have upgraded their antique bicycles will dress in their best tweed attire and flood the island roads. The bike rides will include relaxing stops for tea and picnics. Furthermore, some lucky participants will receive awards for Best Bicycle and Best Attire, while numerous exciting events will take place during the two-day run. Tweed Run satisfies the overall desire for different types of events that are unique, aiming to provide an escape from everyday life, while highlighting the wealth and beauty of various holiday destinations. Poseidonion Grand Hotel took the initiative to organize this year’s Tweed Run, while the event is supported by the Greek Bike Museum’s active participation.
Greek bailout crisis: We should pay reparations for Nazi war crimes, say top German politicians
April 1941: Men who stayed to defend the Greek city of Salonika are finally captured by the overwhelming Nazi presence (Keystone/Getty Images) ...
Recipe: Greek-style yogurt with cardamom mango
Single-serve Greek yogurt cups are doing big business. A glance at their growing real estate in the dairy aisle says plenty about the snack's growing ...
Greece unveils new heads at privatisation agency
Greece has appointed new management at the country's privatisation agency (HRADF), which is expected to play a key role in implementing the leftist ...
'The pressure on Greece is growing'- but Athens won't be 'blackmailed'
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Eurogroup head Jeroen Dijsselbloem repeated on Tuesday that Greece is running out of cash and must work on economic ...
Police: 3 students charged in Greece Athena case
Chief Patrick Phelan of the Greece Police Department made the announcement at a news conference Tuesday afternoon at police headquarters.
Turkey starts implementing the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline project
The pipeline is intended for delivery of the natural gas from Shah Deniz-2 field in Azerbaijan via Georgia and Turkey to borders of Greece and Bulgaria, the project value is estimated at $10 billion
Greece legislates against Bullying after victim, 20, commits suicide
“Anyone who commits bullying will be punished with imprisonment of at least six months.” This is the reaction of the Greek government to the tragic death of the first “official” victim of bullying in the country, Vaggelis Giakoumakis. The 20-year-old student committed suicide last month being unable to bear further […]
Greek PM Tsipras to visit Russia on April 8
ATHENS, March 17. /TASS/. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will visit Moscow on April 8 at an invitation from Russian President Vladimir Putin, the press service of the Greek government said on Tuesday.
Bank of England director: 'Greece will not in any realistic scenario repay its debts'
A senior Bank of England official has said that Greece will never be able to get rid of its enormous debt mountain, since the "political pain" that its leaders would suffer would make it impossible. Alex Brazier said that Greece could, in theory, run a ...
Syriza rival attacks party over debt talks
Greece’s political capital being squandered by stand-off with Germany, says To Potami leader
Deadlock over Greek debt crisis could play into Russia's hands
As Alexis Tsipras courts both Angela Merkel and Vladimir Putin, diplomats fear the country’s economic woes are spiralling into a potential geopolitical threatGreece’s battle to stay solvent and in the eurozone is becoming a game of dangerous brinkmanship. Beyond the war of words between Athens and Berlin, the dark arts of diplomacy are also being played.On Tuesday, only hours after Greece’s leftist-led government announced that the prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, had accepted an offer by the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, to visit Berlin, it was revealed that he would also be making a similar tour to Moscow. “The prime minister will visit the Kremlin on 8 April after being invited by the Russian president, Vladimir Putin,” his office said. Related: German finance minister accuses Athens of destroying trust Related: Alexis Tsipras invited to Berlin as Yanis Varoufakis denies giving Germany the finger Continue reading...
Slovenian PM: Solidarity to Greece has its limits
The solidarity expressed to Greece by its fellow euro members has limits because other countries are struggling under their own austerity commitments, Slovenia’s prime minister said.
Greek PM brings forward Putin talks
Greek PM Alexis Tsipras is to visit Moscow on 8 April, a month earlier than planned as the indebted eurozone state seeks to avoid bankruptcy.
PM in crucial top-level meet on Thursday
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has arranged for a five-party meeting on Thursday ahead of the European Union summit in Brussels to discuss the issues of liquidity and the progress of the Greek program, Skai radio reported on Tuesday.
Former Greek Orthodox priest convicted of child abuse in Maine
The trial began Monday with testimony from a former altar boy at St. George Greek Orthodox Church who said he had been sexually assaulted by ...
Greece and Germany set for divorce?
If Greece and Germany's relationship were a marriage, we would probably be talking about divorce.
The threat of Greece exiting the eurozone looms large
LONDON (MarketWatch) — With hefty debt payments looming, a shrinking economy and political tensions, Greece is far from out of the 'Grexit' woods ...
Greece rejects 'blackmail', seeks meeting with top EU leaders
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has requested a meeting with top European leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel at this week's EU summit, a Greek official said on Tuesday, as Athens insisted it would not be 'blackmailed' over its debt crisis. Greece is at risk of running out of cash within weeks but its EU partners, angered by the new government's fiery rhetoric against its ...
Greece says to use asset sales for social welfare, not to cut debt
Greece will shortly present a law to turn its privatisation agency into a wealth fund that will use proceeds to finance social welfare policies instead of reducing its public debt, the deputy finance minister said. The move could further strain relations between Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' new left-wing government and Greece's international creditors, who want Athens to use the revenues to ...
Is Greece running out of money?
The Greek drama -- or soap opera -- is back. Greece has some hefty loan repayments to make this week. They could drain its remaining reserves, leaving little to pay its bills until Europe releases more rescue loans. Eurozone finance ministers agreed last ...
Greece seeking joint Merkel-Hollande talks on bailout
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece has called for joint talks with leaders of Germany, France and the European Union executive to try and resolve the crisis surrounding the country's bailout negotiations.
Greece Scrambles to Find Cash Ahead of $2 Billion Payment Deadline
Unable to access bailout funding and locked out of capital markets, the government will outline emergency plans to parliament later Tuesday that includes incentives for tax delinquents to pay up before March 27, when Greece needs money for monthly salaries and pensions. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’s government is burning through cash while trying to get creditors -- euro area member states ...
Greek leader seeking joint Merkel-Hollande talks amid bailout impasse
"This is now the moment for technical discussions between the experts including Greece, and we need swift progress on implementing the Greek ...
Is Greece running out of money?
Greece has some hefty repayments to make this week and its cash reserves are drying up quickly.
Morgan Stanley's Just Fallen Out of Love With Greek Bonds
Morgan Stanley used to love Greek bonds. The bank helped sell €3 billion ($4 billion back then) of them back in April last year. It even made Greek ...
Q&A: Grizzlies' Kosta Koufos on his upcoming big fat Greek wedding
The Memphis Grizzlies have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to big men. The team starts the quite talented Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph ...
Greek PM hastens Russia visit amid cash crunch
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras unveiled Tuesday a surprise trip to Russia but also sought talks with European leaders to break a deadlock over reforms that has revived default fears. The radical Greek government said Tsipras, who was already scheduled to visit Russia in May for its annual Victory Day parade, would now also travel to Moscow on April 8 to see Russian President Vladimir Putin ...
BOE's Brazier Says Greek Shock Could Trigger Market Correction
The shadow of Greece's finance minister Yanis Varoufakis is seen as he speaks in Athens. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras's government is ...
Patience With Greece Running Out, Says Merkel’s Party Whip
BERLIN—Greece must finally deliver on promised economic reforms, the parliamentary whip of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union, Michael Grosse-Brömer said Tuesday, signaling that patience with Athens is running out in Europe’s ...
Dijsselbloem says Greek cash running out; Athens rejects 'blackmail'
Greek representatives started talks with international creditors in Brussels last week in an attempt to agree on a set of reforms and unlock remaining ...
German Politicians in Support of Greek Plea for War Reparations
Leading politicians from the junior partner in Germany's coalition government expressed their support to the idea that Germany should pay reparations ...
Greek PM seeks meeting with top EU leaders as cash crunch deepens
The Greek official said Tsipras had personally made his appeal for a ... and to raise Athens' cash problems, the Greek government spokesman said.
Greek PM Alexis Tsipras Accepts Invitation to Moscow--Greek Official
ATHENS-Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will visit Moscow early next month following an invitation from Russian President Vladimir Putin, a Greek ...
Greeks find support for German reparations claims — in Germany
When Greek governments have periodically sought reparations from Germany for crimes committed during the Nazi occupation, Berlin has tended to ...