Plaster sculptures are displayed on wooden pallets inside this ancient Tuscan church, which has been converted into a gallery by Italian practice Microscape (+ slideshow). (more…)
Canfield Gardens is a private home located in London, England. Completed in 2013, it was designed by Scenario Architecture. Canfield Gardens by Scenario Architecture: “This house is designed with a unique take on minimalism. Sharp corners and angular forms are replaced by soft, continuous and curved geometries. Those are juxtaposed with materials in their most bare state; concrete, wood, aluminium, glass and natural plaster, to introduce a sense of ‘eroded’..
From the architect. According to various constructions on the progress and considering number of constructions on the soar, pavilion is amongst sectors with a significant effect on audience’s mind and it practicality plays the main role in it. These spaces most convenient in the present time and represent adaptability in future.
IN order to achieve this aim these spaces most be designed in a supple way. Creating space fluidity is one of the important factors in Plaint Design. Hamedan’s Economic Affair project (in which special renovation has been done according to the past use) has been able to create sense of confidence for the foreign investor as a representative icon in Hamedan. By eliminating existing and limiting walls and then using glass to make extrusion sequence, this project has been able to fulfill needs of a supple space and create special fluidity in visual dimension.
Transformation of a single paper surface into a volume in space with the emphasizing elements of smooth layering has helped this cause. Circulations space’s involving different kinds of movement and experiencing visitors. Generic Plan induced in the eyes of audience while moving into the space, has created a unique and independent identity in contrast to other spaces as if they presume it as a distinct space. Thus we may conclude this space design appropriate for the present time and supple enough for the future.
You’re reading Don’t Panic! 4 Novel Ways to Reduce Anxiety and Fear, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
Chance favors the prepared mind. –Louis Pasteur
Stress and anxiety are ubiquitous in our culture. A certain amount of stress, known as “eustress,” is good for your health. It also increases focus and performance. However, everyone has their limit, a point at which coping resources no longer meet the situational demands. When this happens, performance degrades. Awareness of this degradation sets up the potential for a fear reaction and a negative feedback loop. As the limbic system becomes activated (fear), problem solving further deteriorates and that gap between coping resources and demands further widens. If this progresses far enough it becomes a panic attack. Left untreated, panic attacks can lead to Panic Disorder, Agoraphobia, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, or Depression.
Anxiety can manifest in a number of ways depending on individual makeup and severity. It could be experienced as a vague sense of fear or threat. Sometimes it arises physically as stomach or chest pain. Other signs are shortness of breath and cold, sweaty hands. At the extreme end of panic, it may manifest as hyperventilation, shaking, sweating, memory blackout, and dissociation.
This article outlines a number of strategies to cope with anxiety and panic if it happens to you or someone else. This is not meant to be a substitute for professional evaluation or treatment, but rather as potentially helpful items to add to your toolbox.
There is an old saying by Carl Jung, “That which we resist, persists.” Did you ever get that jingle stuck in your head and the more you wanted to get rid of it, the more it stuck around? Anxiety is something like that. When we don’t want to have a feeling, we tend to ignore it until it turns into background noise known as anxiety. Anxiety is not an emotion in the proper sense. Rather, it is what happens when we avoid emotion. With enough avoidance, it can somaticize completely into stomach issues, chest pain, or headaches. So how does this help? Let’s try to reverse the process. That means bringing your attention back to what has been avoided. The place to start is where the sensations currently exist. Most people find the sensations in the area between the stomach and the head. Get curious about the experience that is anxiety. How do you know that you are anxious? What does it feel like in your body? Become aware of it as if you were reporting your symptoms to a physician. The key is to focus on the physical experience and not get caught up in the thoughts about it. During the self-examination, look intently for any signs of resistance to what you observe. Muscle tension is an obvious resistance, but there are likely other subtle types of resistance there as well. As you discover resistance, give the intention to let go. You may find it helpful to “breathe” in and out of this area. It may take a few moments for things to begin to dissolve but stay with it. If you find this difficult, check out a guided body scan meditation.
Sometimes people with anxiety or panic will fear they are having a heart attack. This can be precipitated by a loud noise or intrusive thought that triggers adrenaline makes the heart pound. This fear will obviously make the anxiety worse and establish a negative feedback loop as the limbic system becomes more and more activated. If you have been unfortunate enough to have panic attacks in the past, then you know what this is, and you know that it will eventually pass. The more you try to control what is happening, the worse it will be. Remember that the body works perfectly fine without your thinking about it, such as when you are asleep. Surrender is the only viable option. Repeat this statement “The body will take care of itself.” over and over until things start to subside. It doesn’t matter if you believe this or not. The unconscious does not have a truth filter. Just keep repeating it until you are calm.
Many of our neuroses come from some fear of the future. It is such a mysterious place and completely unknown. We can concoct some horrendous fantasies about what will certainly befall us. As we indulge these stories again and again we are rehearsing for a perpetual tyranny of intrusive catastrophic thinking. If your attempts to replace this with unicorns and rainbows have been unsuccessful, then you might try to just go with it. Instead of watching that internal horror film and hitting pause at the scariest part, let it play on through. Imagine the worst does happen, then imagine how you would cope if all those fears came true. Keep playing that movie into the future until you get to a place where you are okay. Once you see how you will survive your worst fears, then there is less to be anxious about. Once you have made your new ending, play it every time that old fear resurfaces and you will find you need it less and less.
This is the brute force approach. Fortunately, the rational part of the brain (frontal cortex) has braking power on the emotional part of the brain (limbic system). Unfortunately, these brakes are very weak. However, if you are clever and persistent, you can overcome this limitation. Shift power from your emotional mind to your rational mind by doing a task only the rational mind can do. For example, try counting backwards from 1000 by 4’s or 7’s. The task shouldn’t be too easy or too difficult. You need to be in the Goldilocks zone of difficulty. After a few minutes of this, the rational part of the brain will be back in control. If this doesn’t work, it’s because the task is too easy, too hard, or you quit too soon. Keep at it; it takes a few minutes for those stress hormones in your blood to metabolize away.
If you have recurrent panic attacks, then you should seek help from a professional counselor who specializes in treating Panic Disorder. Make sure he or she is well-versed in applying Exposure Therapy, the gold standard for treatment of panic. If OCD is co-occurring, then the standard treatment is Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). Many people suffer needlessly from these disorders for years because they haven’t received the proper treatment.
Dustin Johnson is a Licensed Professional Counselor at Peak Clarity in Fort Collins, Colorado.
You’ve read Don’t Panic! 4 Novel Ways to Reduce Anxiety and Fear, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
This unusually long Victorian Lion House is situated at the bend of a long terrace in Fulham. Given the limited depth of the rear garden and narrow proportion, the main body of the building and its rear wing were carefully extended towards the side and into a large basement, in accordance with the historical constraints imposed by its heritage context.
Extensive light wells topping the extensions are utilised to expose newly open, contemporary interiors, capturing abundant natural light and opening carefully sculpted internal openings.
An ample basement space is connected to the upper levels both visually and physically through light wells, glass floors and cantilevered staircases, thus opening spaces across levels and creating a flexible and welcoming family home environment.
From the architect. The ‘Modular Lilong’ was designed for Value Retail China to showcase ‘Chuang x Yi’; a concept brand that provides a platform for Chinese fashion designers. The 150 sqm site is located in Yioulai Shanghai Village; a sister to Bicester Village in London – both global shopping developments. The intent of ‘Chuang x Yi’ is to create a retail experience specifically related to the context of Shanghai.
The term lilong refers to an urban typology, organized around meandering lanes, which often display creative solutions in response to issues of space shortage. The resulting blur between private and public, residential and commercial gives Shanghai its signature streetscape. Following the design brief to create a backdrop showcasing selective contemporary Chinese designers, Lukstudio re-interpreted the local, urban fabric with 3 ‘lanehouses’ arranged into different display areas; one waiting lounge, two dressing rooms, the main cashier counter and a service area.
The structure of these lanehouses is conceived as a modular kit of parts, so that it can easily be disassembled and re-installed in another shop location if needed. The pieces are based on architectural features and textures found in a lilong. For example, old stone gates known as, ‘shikumen’ are used as entranceways, with their typical round corners seen in the smooth outline of the display cases. Furthermore, hanging washing lines are turned into copper-coated racks to display clothes, while bamboo rattan; a texture used in vernacular furniture, is applied to the divider screens. Display plinths and racks are positioned along the lane reminiscent of the common scene of scattering benches and stools.
Despite the clear boundary between the stone pavement and the wooden flooring, the open display allows a fluid visual dialogue between the urban lane and the elegantly stacked houses. The retail experience consists of many architectural layers combined into a cohesive structure; offering a sense of pliancy and order that reflects the adaptive nature of lilong life. In this way Lukstudio has generated a journey of discovery, connecting old Shanghai architecture with today’s design world.
This “House in Kimitsu” is located in the countryside of the city of Okayama in western Japan, where fields and rice paddies spread out.
One of the characteristics of the house is its inner garden, three sides of which are surrounded by rooms. That enables you to feel all the time nature such as light, wind and greenery while living in any of the rooms.
By placing the inner garden in the center of the house, all the rooms are connected with each other through the garden.Therefore, this inner garden seems like part of the living room.
On sunny weekends and holidays, you can bring out a table onto the open veranda next to the inner garden and enjoy lunch with your family. You will feel as if you are having a picnic, though you are staying inside the house.
Sig Nordal 