From depression to freedom - By Paul Douglas

Mild depression can lead to brooding on negative aspects of self or others, feeling aggrieved, irritable or upset much of the time, feeling sorry for oneself, and requiring constant reassurance from someone. It can also lead to various physical problems that are not caused by any physical disease.

As depression intensifies, feelings of extreme sorrow and hopelessness blend with low self-esteem, guilt, memory loss, and concentration problems to bring about a critically painful state of mind. To make things worse, there may appear a change in body functioning. The usual daily rhythms seem to go wrong: you have sleepless nights, or sleep too much, you can’t eat, or eat too much. You lose enthusiasm for activities you used to enjoy. Sometimes, you even have a feeling that life is not worth living and suicidal thoughts occur.

Antidepressants are the most commonly used treatments for clinical depression. It is quite cheap, and it is easy for family GPs to prescribe. And this is they who treat the majority of people with depression. But when the episode has passed, and medication ceases, depression usually returns, and minimum 50% of people who experienced an initial episode of depression find that depression is back, despite appearing to have made a full recovery.

After a second or third episode, the risk of recurrence increases to 80-90%. Early onset depression (before 20 years of age) is particularly related to a considerably greater risk of relapse and recurrence. For people having been suicidal in the past, any depressed can lead to a return of suicidal thinking.

The very serious problem with viewing antidepressants as the main method for preventing recurrence of depression is that most patients are not willing to stay on drugs for long-lasting periods, and when the medication stops, the risk of becoming depressed again comes back. Finding new ways of helping people stay well after depression requires an understanding of why depression keeps returning.

During crisis in which a person becomes depressed and suicidal, an association is learned between the various symptoms (low mood, physical pain, suicidal tendencies, and so on). This means that when the negative mood returns, for any reason, it will tend to trigger all the other symptoms - a process called "cognitive reactivity").

It is a very relevant discovery that the connection between negative moods and thoughts remains ready to be reactivated even when patients begin to feel better: this means that preventing prospective crises depends on the ability to control mild upsets from turning into serious conditions. The study has revealed that combining the ancient practice of meditation with modern psychotherapies can help people achieve this.

Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy blends contemporary cognitive behavioral therapy with meditation practices in order to help patients become more aware of the present moment, including communicating with moment-to-moment changes in the mind and body (see www.mbct.co.uk). This therapy is based on Jon Kabat Zinn’s Stress Reduction program at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center.

Participants of the therapy learn the practice of mindfulness meditation in weekly classes and by listening to CD’s or tapes at home during the weekdays. Participants are also educated about our moods, and they are shown the connections between thinking and feeling. They are taught how they can best take care of themselves when a crisis threatens them.

The MBCT approach helps participants in the classes to recognize when their mood is starting to sink. It helps break the normal connection between negative mood and negative thinking. They develop the ability to allow distressing moods, thoughts, and sensations to come and go, without having to struggle with them.

Participants discover that they can stay in touch with the present moment without the need of ruminating about the past or worrying about the future. Consequently, they see more clearly how to approach moment-by-moment experience skillfully, taking more pleasure in the good things that often pass unnoticed or underestimated while handling more efficiently with the problems that they encounter.

Two controlled clinical studies have shown that MBCT can decrease the probability of deterioration by about 40-50% in people who have suffered 3 or more previous episodes of depression. Due to such findings, MBCT has recently been included in the British government’s national guidelines for treating recurrent major depression.

But this suggests a redefinition of treatment itself. As our understanding of depression increases and we see that it is a repetivtive problem, the emphasis is shifting from cure to prevention. Mindfulness-based approaches have already proven that they will play an incredibly relevant role in this.

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Paul Douglas This article was reprinted from PharmacyCenter.org health blog.

I Love Myself and I am Loved - By Yana Mikheeva

"I’m 20. I have got a loved and loving husband. Problem that always follows me – is my overweight. My height is 170 cm, weight – 69 kg – this is not a critical situation, but I try to keep to a diet, go in for sport. My husband loves me very much, tries to do everything for me, and tries to support me during my depressions as for imperfect figure. He gives me no reason to jealous.

But if I see he looked on some interesting girl, I’m upset and quarrel with him. It seems to me that I’m the ugliest one in this world. I create conflict situations unconsciously. I don’t know what to do. I cannot live in constant depression because of my figure, and I feel sorry for my husband – I understand that I can lose him due to my shouting and critics. Please, advice me what to do."

"It occurred to me that I have never really loved anybody (men), and I thought: I may miss this feeling at all. I have got a boyfriend, we have been together for 2 years, I broke with him 3 times for this period, tried to be with other man, then came back. Now we’re together, I say him I love him, but I know it’s not truth. I started thinking: may be I cannot love at all? Probably, no, as love begins from ourselves, and I don’t love myself, my body.

I’m always angry with myself, if I want something very much, I try to hide this feeling deep inside, as I think I will not get it. I attended ball dances for a while, went to classes gladly, adored my partner, but quit dancing. I’m living with a feeling of despair, feel I’m not necessary for anybody, know that dances will be only my dream, I gained weight (64 kg while 174 cm). I don’t want anything and even living…"

Everyone has an image or portrait of himself in his mind unconsciously. An idea of himself as of a personality. And in most cases this opinion is formed unconsciously, basing on past experience, attitude of other people to us.

We will always act like that personality, which we identify us with. A man, who thinks he is a loser, will always find a way and reason to ruin business, despite of will power efforts. Image of our Ego changes to better or worse in the process of accumulation of practical experience. But our self-esteem does not depend on things that took place in this experience; it depends on our own estimation of events, which occur to us. Inferiority complex appears more often from our conclusions, than of facts and events. For example, I sing badly. This is fact, but it does not mean I’m an inferior person in general. A person with broken acceptation of reality may make absolutely another conclusion: “I sing badly, I do everything wrong, I cannot do anything, I’m a loser.”

Everything depends on norms we measure ourselves with. Feeling of inferiority appears, when we estimate ourselves using "maximum" standards of other people. When we act this way, we are on the second place surely. And as we suppose we should correspond to standards, we begin feeling we’re people of second sort. This wrong idea sounds like this: "I should be like someone else" or “I should be like everybody". That’s why we are trying to look like top-models from magazines’ covers, invent standards, which we have to correspond to. But in fact: does this common standard exist? No. Beauty standards change often, like fashion trends.

Convictions form our behavior and emotions. And we value these or those events basing on our convictions. People with low self-esteem have wrong opinion of other people’s opinion of them. They concentrate on negative aspects, ignoring good qualities. Wrong self-esteem leads to a feeling of inconsistency or incompetence. Low self-esteem, and further, depression, are results of constant break of estimation of events.

Here are main types of psychological mistakes, which appear, when a person has low self-esteem:

Maximization One sees everything in black or white colors. A person, thinking in categories "everything or nothing", sees himself as a loser while slightest discrepancy of things to his criteria. This way is destructive, as only 2 variants of estimation can be seldom met. Nobody can be either absolutely unique or complete fool, either attractive, or ugly. There’s nothing that corresponds to extreme concepts.

If you try to live according to absolute categories, lots of reasons for resentment with yourself will appear. Majority of psychological disorders together with low self-esteem are caused by maximization. If a person estimates his life from a position "everything or nothing", then he’s assured that his actions can be either great or worthless. Straight results of such world view – are laziness and passivity.

General conclusion based on single facts The only negative event is accepted like an endless "black period". For example, a pupil with excellent marks failed to pass exam to enter the University. Further he builds his reflections this way: "I failed to enter now, I will not enter ever, and I’m a loser".

Psychological filtering of events A person chooses only negative details of situation. For example, while passing exam you make one mistake. You are thinking of it all the time and make a conclusion you will receive bad mark. In fact, this is the only mistake, which is absolutely unnoticeable on the background of a wonderful answer.

Disqualification of positive

A person does not accept positive facts, insisting on their impossibility, keeps negative impressions, in spite of their discrepancy to real events. For example, you may accept compliments as mockery. I.e. you may always find something that allows you affirming that you’re worse than others. You choose only negative details of any event. So you always confirm negative impression of you:

"Your dress is beautiful"

"I guessed it is provoking".

Negative interpretation of reality

It happens because of ignorance of real state of events or belief that bad presentiments always come true.

A man decides that someone thinks bad of him and does not strive to understand real situation. Feeling that people look down on you prevents you from normal communication. For example, a girl decides that on a party everybody is thinking of her overweight and unattractive appearance and avoids meeting everybody. An interlocutor, facing such cold attitude, thinks that he’s not interesting for her and is in a hurry to make off. Or: a man feels that something bad will happen and is assured that this will surely happen. I.e. he concentrates on negative result. For example, somebody forgot to tell your boyfriend about your call. You decide he does not want to talk to you and does not even guess that somebody just forgot to tell him about your call. You make a conclusion that he will consider you annoying, if you call him again.

Overestimate and understatement

Overestimate of meaning of good events and understatement of bad ones. Effect of a "spyglass". Usually overestimate concerns your own mistakes. You always decide: "my reputation is broken". And when you think of your successes, you look at them from another side: "nothing special". Both understatement of achievements and overestimate of failures guarantee bad state of health. Especially, if you compare yourself with others. "These top-models from magazines are so slender, and I…", "Marsha is really successful, and I can do only small things".

Conclusions based on emotions

Belief that negative emotions reflect real situation: "I feel this, so it is real". In fact, feelings reflect thoughts, if latest are broken, then emotional reaction does not correspond facts. For example: I feel guilty, this means I did something wrong. One of results of such reaction – is delay.

For example, you feel fear in front of communication, and always excuse your not wishing to go on contact – a person is inappropriate, situation is wrong etc. When communication takes place, it turns out, that nothing awful has happened. Negative feelings were an obstacle.

I would… An attempt to motivate situation from a position "it could happen" and "it could not happen" causes complex of guilt and is a reason of exasperation. One feels offence, he feels depressed because the things he did not done. He falls into depression because of impossibility to change something. When behavior falls down below his standards, then possible and impossible cause feelings of disgust for himself, shame and complex of guilt. You may avoid it, if you adjust your requirements to reality and not try to measure your actions by those norms, which other people seem to use.

Labels

Labels are self-image and opinion about other people, based completely on negative facts. This is an extreme form of general conclusion of some separate facts, labels are stuck instead of description of one’s own or other people’s mistakes. "I’m an idiot", "He’s bad" – labels can be based on unfounded, even single cases – these are results of emotional splashes. Instead of thinking: "I made a mistake", one thinks: "I’m a loser". A woman ate ice-cream and is angry: "I’m a pig, I’m fat". We cannot characterize our "ego" by one thought. Life is complicated, everything flows and changes. A person is not like a monument. So any label is false and pared-down.

Taking responsibility for events that do not depend on you This means seeing a reason caused negative events, in you, regardless of the fact that there was no possibility to affect them. One thinks that that those were his mistakes and failures that affected negative situation. Taking responsibility for events that do not depend on him creates feeling of guilt, suffering from his own helplessness.

For example, a lecturer notices that somebody is sleeping on a lesson. He thinks at once: "I’m a bad lecturer". But in fact, this person had no sleep during 3 days and just "switched off".
Lecturer is not guilty, but he took responsibility for this on himself.

How to improve your self-esteem

Understanding of the fact that our actions, feelings and behavior are just a result of our ideas and beliefs, gives powerful starting-lever of change of personality.

Create a realistic image of your Ego

The first step to satisfaction with life and yourself consists in creating of a realistic and adequate idea of yourself. As we live in a real world, an image of our Ego should reflect this reality. If your idea of yourself is complete and stable, then you will feel calm and comfortable, otherwise you will feel anxiety and worrying.

Make a list of your pluses and minuses. Write down pluses in one graph, minuses – in other. Remember situations, which confirmed these characteristics. Pay a special attention to minuses – examine each one separately, asking questions: is it true or not (who said it, or why did you decide that you have this minus)? Which facts confirm it? In which situations it is showed? Does this worry you in life? Do other people have this quality? Does it worry them?

Try to balance graph with minuses with characteristics from graph with pluses. For example:
I’m plump, but kind and witty. Or: there’re lots of plump women, but successful and popular. Bring your minuses to positive side. As a result you will receive your portrait, including strong and weak sides, where weak ones are compensated by strong. This will be real estimation of your personality.

Another step – is composing an image of a person, whom you would like to become. For this you need to draw a person, whom you would like to become, in your thoughts. This should not be an invented unreal image of you, as such ideas do not correspond to reality. Think about the way you can change present situation. Probably, you need to go in for sport, receive additional education, communicate more etc.

Your task is to find your real Ego and bring your images of yourself to complete correspondence with an object they reflect. It is very important that pictures would be as much brighter, correspond closer to real experience. You need to pay attention to small details: sounds, color, separate objects. You should imagine yourself in real time. This exercise forms new information in a memory of your nervous system, helps to create a new image of your Ego. After training you will discover with surprise that you are already not trying, but acting in other manner.

Stop measuring your abilities with other people’s standards. You are not the worst, not the best, you are unique. Now you have an image of your Ego, and you live in correspondence with it. So the only criterion of estimation of events – are inner standards.

Work out habit to happiness

Happiness – is a mood, while which we have pleasant thoughts. Ancient Roman philosopher Epictetus said: "People are worried not by events themselves, but by their opinion about these events". According to other famous philosopher and poet Emerson R. words, a measure of psychic health is a habit to search positive sides in everything. If you prefer light thoughts on purpose, this does not mean you live wearing rose-colored glasses. These thoughts form positive image of your Ego. They create positive experience, basing on which you confirm your opinion of yourself like of a successful person, and, thus, act like a successful person.

Habits – are just methods of reaction, which we learned to do automatically. Not less than 95% of things that we call peculiarities of behavior, emotions, reactions, are a result of formed habits. We can change them. For this you need to practice new methods of reaction to events. In other words, replace a habit of constant criticizing yourself and searching minuses by a habit of finding positive sides in any event.

Put only positive goals in front of you If we always come back to past mistakes and failures in our mind, they turn into a goal, which is kept in imagination and memory. At the moment when we change direction of our thoughts, stop intensifying past negative stereotypes, past with its mistakes and failures loses its power over us. Negative purpose is replaced by positive.

Using effort to stay away from undesirable manner of behavior, you really only make it stronger. For example, you want to grow thin and make you eat less by unbelievable efforts of will power. But very soon you slip out and everything repeats. The best way to overcome any habit – is to form a clear image of a wished result in your mind and exercise in gaining your goal effortless.

Yana Mikheeva is the creator of All about women site, it is an on-line resource for women and about women. Here you can find articles on various subjects, such as: diets, receipts, health, cellulite, figure, aromatherapy, wholesome food, psychology of relationships, pregnancy, parenting, fashion and many others. She also has Blog for women

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Teen-age Suicide: ATrue Story - By Helene Rothschild

Are you a teen-ager contemplating suicide or the parent of one? The following case study may help you solve your problem.

When I met Jill, she was sixteen years old and in counseling for four years. When she was twelve years old when she tried to commit suicide by taking an overdose of pills. The teen-ager was taking medication for depression and mood swings, and attending a small private school to help her cope more easily with life. Besides all these helpful measures, Jill was still getting upset easily and over-reacting to situations. She was also often missing school for psychosomatic illnesses (caused by emotions).

Jill was living with her mother, step-father and step brother. She had an older sister and brother who lived outside of the home. Her mother, Kate, a forty-four year old woman, was unhappy in her second marriage. When she called me for counseling, she was very concerned about her daughter because she was talking about suicide again.

During our first session, I asked Jill to complete the sentence, “I want to commit suicide because...” Jill responded, “I want to commit suicide because I feel trapped. I can’t be myself. I have to take care of my mother.” Then I continued, “Jill if you could be free to live your own life, would you want to live? “Yes,” she replied.

In the course of counseling numerous teen-agers, I had noticed this as a common feeling for the last child in the house with parents who are in pain. It is interesting that no one tells the child directly to rescue their parent but they unconsciously feel obligated. I have also found that the mother gives unconscious messages to the child not to grow up because then she will have to face her personal unhappiness and marital relationship, and let go of her role of “Mother” which has been her identity for most of her adult life.

To assist Jill, I helped her visualize and cut the obsolete “umbilical cords” that were unconsciously connecting her to her mother. I also used some therapeutic processes to help her raise her self-esteem. At the end of the session, I asked Kate to come back into the office and encouraged Jill to share her new awareness with her mother.

In other sessions, I worked with Kate alone to help her cut the “umbilical cords” that she had unconsciously connected to her youngest daughter, face her unhappy relationship and build her own self-esteem. *

Getting to the core of the problem quickly resulted in immediate changes. With higher self-esteem, both Jill and Kate started to dress nicer and looked more attractive and happier. They also encouraged each other to be separate, independent people, and responsible for their own lives.

Jill soon had less psychosomatic illnesses and upsets and was able to quickly calm down if she did overact. She was no longer talking about suicide and proudly told me, “I don’t need my medication anymore.” Two factors that helped Jill improve so quickly were that Kate was attending a church that taught positive thinking and she was willing to work on her own growth.

If you are the teen-ager contemplating suicide, you can show this article to your parents and ask them to help you to solve the problems. Or if you are the parent of a child thinking about suicide, it could be very helpful to explore the above issues and resolve them with a professional counselor.

Helene Rothschild, MS, MA, MFT, is a Marriage, Family Therapist, intuitive counselor, author, speaker, teacher and workshop facilitator. To empower people, she developed a unique process, HART: Holistic And Rapid Transformation. She offers phone sessions, teleclasses, a self-help on-line program, inspirational books, e-books, tapes, cards, posters and independent studies. http://www.helenerothschild.com

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You Are Not A Victim; You Are Not Alone - By: Colette Kelso

If you don’t feel good about yourself, you have to fix it. There’s no other way around it. You can’t raise confident kids, have a healthy relationship, or get satisfaction from your job if you don’t. This comes from someone who didn’t, for most of her life, feel worthwhile. Many books come from the perspective of an expert, someone who already has a healthy sense of self-worth, which I believe immediately sets up an alienating perspective between them and us, those who “know” and the rest of us who struggle with this issue. They assume they know better. They may think they know better, and have a worthwhile plan, but we know what it is really like, we have experienced and not just judged our self-defeating behavior.

We all have varying degrees of self-doubt. A person can be wildly successful in their life, and still have deep-seated feelings of worthlessness. There is a fear of discovery that others will come to see what’s behind the curtain in Oz. So we strive to accomplish more and more, climb to greater heights, yet it’s never enough. You may try to hide it, this low sense of self-worth, but like the alcoholic who wants to keep his drinking a secret, but staggers nonetheless, it is a visible illness. To continue the analogy, I want to be sober. In this case sobriety equals integrity and confidence.

Here is where to begin. It’s the Victim Thing. The most tragic or toxic aspect of victim hood is that victims don’t know they are playing the part of the victim. They see all around them evidence of betrayal, duplicity, and injustice so their victim status is validated and for the most part goes unquestioned. This is why I say, be careful, or the discovery that you have been wronged may be the last discovery you make. We all have injustice and dysfunction in our lives. We have to come to understand that these are just events that come and go. Again, It’s not the circumstances that define us; it’s how we react to them.

Some of us could and do spend many hours, years, in therapy or in our rooms trying to figure out how we got to be this way, but—this is essential—none of it matters. It truly doesn’t matter how we got to be damaged goods, or rather, it may matter to you, but it is not the solution; it is simply part of a very long and complicated story. You may very well know how and when you got to this point, but leave the blame for now and ask instead what comes nex?

Life is about choices. I can feel trapped in my life, but I can choose to begin writing this. I can choose to eat a healthy meal. I can choose to go for a walk. I can choose how to respond to my significant other. Every conscious choice I make brings me that much closer to the integrity I seek, or makes it less likely. The consequence of choosing is to remove myself from the victim role. Victims don’t create their lives; they react to them.

Acceptance is central to the process of coming out from under our victimhood. I would say that it is one of the basic tenets of all spiritual traditions, one that we can use in our everyday life, in the mundane and tragic circumstances within which we find ourselves. Like making conscious choices instead of reacting, it takes practice. I am stuck in traffic. I have lost my job. I am sick. One alternative is protest, anger, and bitterness. A person with low self-worth takes these things personally. A person with integrity and confidence accepts and adapts.

The key question in any adverse circumstance is, “What do I do now and next?” Sometimes all you can do is breathe deeply. Other times you can take definitive action, but again, you are making conscious choices instead of reacting, you are accepting your circumstances. Everything changes. This applies to the good situations as well as to the negative. That is why the phrase, “This too shall pass,” is so powerful. Peace of mind comes from accepting yourself, your life, wherever you happen to be at any given time.

Acceptance is the bottom line. Good choices grow from acceptance. There will always be someone better or worse off than we are. Good and bad things happen to us and to others and can happen at any time. Our life may have been difficult or a breeze. Who’s to say? You are. I am. To say that something is unfair is to return to the victim mode. Don’t live a life of protest. You’ll miss so much of what is given. Think of the world and it’s mysterious ways as an impersonal agency, so there is nothing served by anger and resistance. We only succeed in restricting ourselves further. We are worthwhile in our own shoes, where we stand. Practicing and believing this is so brings the part of ourselves that we love to the surface, and then the way gets easier and clearer.

About the Author:

This is a condensed excerpt from Colette Kelso's book, Who's a Loser? Read the book to find a way out of a difficult situation. If you're in the job market, visit I need a job. You need a job?

Source: www.isnare.com

First Thing You Should Do to Get Out of Depression - By Willie Krut

Depression, in psychiatry, is a symptom of mood disorder characterized by intense feelings of loss, sadness, hopelessness, failure, and rejection. The two major types of mood disorder are unipolar disorder, also called major depression, and bipolar disorder, whose sufferers are termed manic-depressive.

Here are few suggestions to get the better of the depressed mood and get the most happiness out of your daily activities.

Take a Break.

I mean it.

Listen to soothing music. Soak in a nice warm bath. Ask one of your close friends to massage you. Take a break from your stressful workload and spend the day just goofing around. In other words, have fun.

Eat Right and Stay Fit.

Avoid foods with lots of sugar, caffeine, or alcohol. Sugar and caffeine may give you a brief moment of energy; but they would later bring about anxiety, tension, and internal problems. Alcohol is a depressant. Many people would drink alcohol to "forget their problems." They're just aggravating their conditions in the process.

Exercising regularly is a vital depression buster because it allows your body to produce more endorphins than usual. Endorphins are sometimes called "the happy chemicals" because of their stress-reducing and happiness-inducing properties.

Get Enough Light and Sunshine.

Lack of exposure to sunlight is responsible for the secretion of the hormone melatonin, which could trigger a dispirited mood and a lethargic condition.

Melatonin is only produced in the dark. It lowers the body temperature and makes you feel sluggish. If you are always cooped up in your room (with the curtains closed), it would be difficult to restrain yourself from staying in bed.

This is the reason why many people are suffering from depression much more often in winter than in the other seasons. It's because the nights are longer.

If you can't afford to get some sunshine, you can always lighten up your room with brighter lights. Have lunch outside the office. Take frequent walks instead of driving your car over short distances.

Get Busy. Get Inspired.

You'll be more likely to overcome any feeling of depression if you are too busy to notice it. Live a life full of inspired activities.

Do the things you love. If you're a little short on cash, you could engage in simple stuffs like taking a leisurely stroll in the park, playing sports, reading books, or engaging in any activity that you have passion for and would love to pursue.

Set a goal - a meaningful purpose in life. No matter how difficult or discouraging life can be, remain firm and have an unshakable belief that you are capable of doing anything you desire. With this kind of positive attitude, you will attain a cheerful disposition to beat the blues.

Get a Social Life.

No man is an island. Your circle of friends are there to give you moral support. Spending time and engaging in worthwhile activities with them could give you a very satisfying feeling. Nothing feels better than having group support.

Never underestimate the power of touch. Doesn't it feel so good when someone pats you on the back and gives you words of encouragement during your most challenging times? Hug or embrace someone today. You'll never know when you have saved another life.

Get intimate. Establish close ties with your family and friends. The love and care expressed by others could tremendously boost your immune system and fend off illnesses. Best of all, you'll live a more secured and happy life.

Learn more how to manage and conquer your depression, please visit the http://www.welcome-to-self-improvement.com site.

Willie Krut is the core provider of a selection of self help products that truly help people to improve their life, health and career. Subscribe to the free Willie's Newsletter, visit the http://www.welcome-to-self-improvement.com site.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Willie_Krut

Stress and Depression - What Causes Depression and How is It Affected by Increased Stress Levels? - By Christina Vickery

Depression and its effect on our stress levels can have a huge impact on our lives.

When I think back over the times of extreme stress and anxiety over the last few years, I find I never really would have classed myself as depressed. However, at times, the thought of just not being part of this life became quite attractive. I often wanted to just peacefully slip away. I'm sure that this was a symptom, within myself of a mild form of depression.

As life sorted itself out, slowly those times of thinking like that started to diminish. It is only when I look back at how I felt that I realise how thinking like this was part of my life then.

What is depression?

Depression, like stress and anxieties, results from living our lives in a way in which we are not designed to live. We function best when we can slowly evolve and thrive in our environment.

The last 100 years has meant we have been thrust headfirst into a chaotic and very fast lifestyle. We haven't been given the luxury of adapting into our lifestyles slowly and calmly - going at our own pace. It is estimated that worldwide over 300 million people may be suffering from depression. That means an awful lot of unhappy people, on an awful lot of medication, costing a huge amount of money and resources.

How can we get help? - we need to learn more about the causes, symptoms and prevention and cure of depression.

Here are some signs you may recognise: Do you?

• Wake up feeling exhausted?
• Feel miserable most of the time?
• Constantly worry - about anything and everything
• Lack motivation - even of things you used to love doing?

What is your lifestyle like?

• Do you work long hours?
• Have you got large debts?
• Do you abuse your body with drugs? nicotine? alcohol?caffeine?
• Are you a couch potato?
• Do you ever really relax and have a time of peace in your life?
• Are you going through a divorce or messy relationship breakdown?
• Do you feel part of a community - do you know/get on well with your neighbours?
• Do you eat a mainly processed food diet?
• Are you physically suffering from any of these problems?
• Lack of sleep?
• Food intolerances?
• Too many toxins in your body? (through an unhealthy diet)
• Too much sugar?
• An imbalance or lack of vitamins, minerals, fatty acid levels from your diet?
• Lack of exercise?
• Lack of sunshine and adequate outdoor light exposure?
• Co-existing illnesses - or perhaps you deal with one condition and immediately another sets in?

How do you feel emotionally? Do you feel?

• Do you feel appreciated?
• Are you in charge of your life?
• Safe and secure?
• Loved and connected to your partner?
• Respected?
• Do you feel you belong - either in your relationship, at work or with friends, or in your community?
• Are you stimulated and challenged in your life?
• Does your life have purpose?

IT IS VITAL TO SEE YOUR DOCTOR AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO GET A PROPER ASSESSMENT.

Here are some options available to you to help you and I have put some in the form of FAQ's.

Will I be put on antidepressants? The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence ( the organisation which recommends prescribing guidelines to doctors) has recently said that the risks of taking anti depressents for someone with mild depression outweigh the advantages. You may not therefore be prescribed them.

If you want to know some of the risks of these medications they are:

• Nausea
• Lack of libido
• Anxiety
• Abdominal pain
• They sometimes don't work in approx 30-50% of patients

There is a holistic approach which can be divided into Physical and Emotional/Lifestyle changes.

Here are some guidelines

PHYSICAL

• De toxify
• Change to a healthy, mood enhancing diet
• Eat 3 meals a day plus 2 snacks
• Eat a protein source with every meal: eggs, nuts, seeds, fish, lentils, beans.
• Eat 4 portions of leafy green vegetables every day
• Take a multivitamin-mineral supplement
• Raise neurotransmitter chemical levels - ie. serotonin, the happy chemical and dopamin the motivation chemical. Take these as supplements as 5-HTP (50mg to 100mg twice daily) and l-tyrosine 500mg three times daily. Also include Omega-3 essential fatty acids into your diet in the form of mackerel, salmon, sardines and herrings or take in supplement form
• Exercise! get 30 minutes of exercise 3 - 5 times per week. Make sure you enjoy it, and when you're doing it make sure your mind is on your exercise and not your problems. By concentrating "externally" you are lessening the impact of your internal gremlins - but only whilst you are doing the exercise!

EMOTIONAL/LIFESTYLE

The key to success over depression is to ensure that the life you lead nourishes a balanced and healthy way of life for you. One in which you can grow emotionally and psychologically and one in which you use your abilities to gain fulfillment and improved mental health.

If you are balanced and happy in your life then you have the tools to deal with stressful and anxious situations as they arise. The effect will not be long term because you have the resources to combat the depressing situation.

This is a very important time for you to deal with your emotional/lifestyle challenges and it is essential that you get yourself the most valuable help.

This is an extract from my website which covers many aspects of stress and how it affects our lives.

It is based on my own experiences, which I share with you. I would like the site to expand and include helpful experiences you may like to share with myself and others.

Please visit if you feel it may be of interest to you http://www.stress-anxieties-solutions.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christina_Vickery

Healing Depression with Laughter - By Monalisa Hyden

"What was significant about the laughter . . . was not just the fact that it provides internal exercise for a person . . .a form of jogging for the innards, but that it creates a mood in which the other positive emotions can be put to work, too." - Norman Cousins

A good laugh is a very effective treatment for depression which can ease up your facial muscles, reduces stress hormone, lowers blood pressure, increases muscle flexion, by raising levels of infection-fighting T-cells, disease-fighting proteins which produce disease-destroying antibodies, also triggers the release of endorphins, the body's natural painkillers. Humour and laughter has beneficial effect on body, mind and spirit giving an overall effect of well being. When someone is depressed, humour and laughter boosts up his a positive and hopeful attitude. When we can laugh at any problem, we feel the power and superiority get the control over the situation.

Laughter releases those uncomfortable emotions, that are bottled up in our mind and creates biochemical changes that causes damage to our soul as well as body.

People with good sense of humour fall sick less often due to the fact laughter is an internal jogging for a man. There is a very important relationship within body and mind; emotions are registered in the body in the form of chemical messages, a complex molecule called neuropeptides, which are found throughout the body and brain, work as a means of communication.

Incorporating more laughter and humour in life ensures that these molecules carrying chemical messages work positively in the body.

How to start laughing when you know you are depressed?

We have plenty of opportunities in a day when we can laugh aloud, giggle or at least smirk.

Beaming all day will never cause you any harm rather uplift your spirit and you will be more welcomed by people who are around you. So notice the small incidents around you that can give you a laugh, grab those opportunities, they are too precious to let go. Every one of us has a friend or a family member who are known for their sense of humour, spend some time with him.

There are email newsletters providing “A Joke a Day”, subscribe to them, watch comedy TV shows, read comics and joke books. If you have kinds at home, get into tickling match with them, or you can do it with your spouse, and let them get you back with some tickle. There are thousands websites available on the internet providing you jokes for pure and loud laughs, read those jokes, share them with friends. There are funny talk shows running on T.V. and radio which can leave you rolling over your belly. Laughter is really contagious which will give you uproar to fill your soul with influx of joy. If there is something that you may not laugh at accompanied by others, like foreign language songs, public embarrassment of politicians, your obese boss trying to be smart, or a dumb colleague doing all stupid things, laugh whenever you are alone in your cabin or in the loo. This way you will not be offending anyone but do a lot of healthy exercise for your mind.

Life has different dimensions offering you spectrum of emotions , try to look at the things from different perspectives, you will see there are thousand instances of irony around you, look for events of irony in your memory warehouse, you will find plenty of them. Life is a fountainhead of fun, and depression is not enough to close that gush of joy to your life. You need to be connected to those mirthful rivers and let them flow within you.

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The author, Monalisa Hyden, addresses psychological issues. If you wish to help yourself and your loved ones to fight depression, you can log on to http://www.buy-xanax-online-now.com for more information and advice.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Monalisa_Hyden

Depression - Write Your Way Out - By Michael Russell

Most of us feel depressed, or "down" at some time in our lives but, fortunately, it's usually short lived. Some people, however, are unable to shake off their feelings of depression and are diagnosed as "Clinically Depressed".

Many types of drugs and pills are prescribed but they often lead to addiction in addition to depression, thus creating a never ending downward spiral. Thousands, and possibly millions, of patients are convinced they'll never recover which only adds to their sense of low-self esteem.

Today, people suffering from depression seek alternative remedies such as acupuncture and various therapies. Cognitive behavioural therapy is one of the most popular as it encourages people to view their problems from a different perspective. It is one of the most successful therapies but is not always easily available on a continuous basis which is essential if the patient is to benefit.

People who struggle financially can find this particular therapy difficult to obtain on an ongoing basis as their appointments may be weeks apart. Wealthier people, of course, don't encounter such problems as they have sufficient money for private treatment. Everybody would agree this is unjust but, regrettably, life is frequently unfair.

There are other methods of coping, such as self-help groups which some people find incredibly supportive. Friends and relatives can also provide a "shoulder to cry on" but very few are able to provide long term support because they are emotionally too close to the patient. The majority of friends and relatives find it hard to be objective, and some of them even go so far as to tell those suffering from depression "to snap out of it". This is fatal as this is exactly what they want to do but are unable to do so.

One of the best ways of coping with depression is to enrol on a Creative Writing Course. Not an obvious way of coping, it must be said, but one that can produce amazing results. People who enrol on these courses are not required to have any qualifications apart from, obviously, a desire to write. The reason these courses are so successful lies in the fact that people who attend them have to think about matters other than their problems for a couple of hours. This concentrates the mind wonderfully and allows people to perceive things in a different way which is reminiscent of the principles of cognitive behavioural therapy.

The courses cover story writing, poetry, stage, screen and radio plays plus the outlines of writing a novel. Topics include characterisation, plot, dialogue plus a host of other subjects. Each and every one can offer countless ways whereby people are able to release their innermost thoughts, desires and anxieties, so relieving considerable tension. Poetry offers one of the best methods of expressing emotion which in itself is extremely cathartic.

Listening to other people's views is also particularly therapeutic as, again, this distances people who are depressed from dwelling on their troubles, affording them a welcome respite. Creative Writing Courses really do expand the mind and leave it open to new experiences which are of tremendous benefit to any one suffering from low self-esteem. Writing, by it's very nature, depends on self expression which often helps people to understand their feelings which may have been repressed for years. This can result in a completely new outlook on life itself. It is simply a question of being receptive to new ideas but the rewards can be huge. In a nutshell, minds become focused on looking outwards, rather than inwards, when involved in the process of writing. In accomplishing such an achievement, creative writing must count as one of the best treatments in helping people to overcome depression. Enrol on that course today! You'll find it can change your life.

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Depression

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Russell

10 Common Symptoms Of Depression - By Paul W Wilson

Every year approximately 9.5 per cent of the American population suffers from depression. Depression is a grave illness that affects day to day life and destroys families. It is a disorder that controls the mind and its functions causing loss of appetite, sleeplessness, mood swings, and a deep sense of despair.

The symptoms of depression are varied and the severity changes with time. And, according to experts depression can be an inherited disorder, or caused by life threatening illnesses, or stress. Other causes are certain diseases, medicines, drugs, alcohol, or mental illnesses. Women are seen to experience depression more than men and this is attributed to hormonal swings, menstrual cycle changes, pregnancy, miscarriage, pre-menopause, and post-menopause.

Common symptoms are:

1. An unshakeable sadness, anxiety, or emptiness.

2. Overwhelming hopelessness accompanied by pessimistic feelings.

3. Extreme guilt, feelings of helplessness, and no sense of self worth.

4. Loss of energy, a slowing down of metabolism, and activity levels. Being plagued by constant fatigue.

5. A sense of helplessness along with an increasing inability to focus and indecisiveness.

6. Loss of sound sleep and development of extreme insomnia.

7. Inexplicable weight loss or weight gain. Triggered by loss of appetite or eating binges.

8. Brooding and suicidal inclinations.

9. Irritability, short temper, as well as restlessness.

10. Physical afflictions like headaches, digestive disorders, and chronic pain for no particular reason.

If you experience any of the above along with a marked change in behavior do consult your doctor. He will give you a thorough examination to rule out physical causes for depression as well as any underlying medical problems. Then if required he will recommend that you consult a psychiatrist or psychologist.

Take matters in hand and try and erase negativity from your mind. Cut out from you life terms like exhaustion, worthlessness, and hopelessness. Change your life by setting yourself a few goals. Try and relax, meditate, and enjoy music. Start new activities that absorb your time as well as interests. Go out and meet people and participate in group activities. Avoid the company of negative people. Make up your mind to enjoy a movie, ballgame, family outing, picnic, or trek.

Be positive, self confident, and have faith in yourself. Faith is itself a great healer. Decide to change your world for the better. However do follow the doctor’s advice.

Treatment can include:

Anti-depressant medicines, psychotherapy, as well as lifestyle changes. In extreme cases electroconvulsive therapy or light therapy are prescribed.

If your depression escalates or you are suicidal seek help from your family physician or health care provider. Do call a local health department, a community mental health center, or hospital or clinic. Someone will extend a helping hand and talk you through the crisis.

Paul Wilson is a freelance writer for http://www.1888articles.com/depression-articles-88_8.html, the premier website to find help on Depression Articles including topics on meditation, obesity, beauty, diabetes, fitness equipment, exercise, yoga, weight loss, aerobics cardio and more. He also freelances for the premier Medical Press Release site http://www.1888PressRelease.com/medical-0-27.html

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Advice On How To Pick Yourself Up When You Feel Down And Depressed - By Steve Hill

Most people in the world often feel down and depressed, they find that things are getting on top of them and they find it hard to continue living their lives. In this article I give advice on how to get out of this rut and how we can reduce this depression.

I have had many periods in my own life when I have been downright miserable and unhappy. The stress of everyday life has taken its toll and I have struggled to see any light at the end of the tunnel.

I have now worked and studied hard to learn ways in which to combat this depression and stress. I am now much more able to cope with these type of situations. I still do find myself becoming down but now have various techniques and methods to help me to quickly return to happiness.

The first thing I do when I start to feel a bit down or unhappy is to write a list of all the things that are making me feel this way. Instead of doing what I used to do, which was to stress so much about each of them, which only makes each problem even bigger, I now look at each item on the list and try to find a solution.

This is not that easy to do but is essential in combatting the demons in my mind which are trying to make me think in a negative way. Some of the items on the list are hard to find solutions for. I then try to tell myself that worrying is not the answer and that all I can do is to give it my best shot to improve the situation. At the end of the day what is the worst thing that can happen?

I have realised that I seem to get down and depressed when I am over tired. Now when I feel over-tired, I ensure that I go to bed a lot earlier than normal over the next few days and try to avoid drinks like coffee, late at night, which can keep me awake. To help me to sleep I always read a book which not only tires my eyes but also helps to take my mind off the things that I am worried about. I have also been known to have a small snooze in the afternoons to help me to catch up on any lost sleep.

I feel fortunate to have two young children. They seem to be full of life and do not seem to have a care in the world. Both children have totally changed my life in a positive way and are a bundle of fun and joy. When starting to feel a bit down and depressed, I spend as much time as I can with my children as they are what makes me happy and smile. I can soon forget my troubles and it also makes me appreciate what I have in life.

As well as writing a list of what is making me sad and worried, I also write a list of what I am happy with. As in the above example the children would be on this list as would many other aspects of my life. By concentrating on this list, I soon see that my life is not so bad after all. It is very easy for a person like myself to over focus on my fears and phobias and to lose sight of the things that are positive in my life.

We all have things that we worry about, it is the people who learn how to handle these issues who end up being the most happiest and successful. We need to start seeing these worries as challenges instead of problems.

I hope the advice in this article helps you as much as it has helped me.

Stephen Hill helps to promote a number of websites including:

stuttering information
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5 Facts You Need To Know About Depression - By Chris Green

Around 18 million US citizens suffer from stress, depression and anxiety every year and for many of them, understanding why they endure the torment is difficult to establish. This is because of the many “magic bullet myths” associated with these problems. Here are five such myths along with the root cause as to why stress, anxiety and depression arise.

1. Chemical imbalances within the brain. This is a theory with no proven clinical evidence to support it. The theory alleges that low levels of certain neurotransmitters in the brain cause people to suffer from anxiety, stress or depression. Drug therapy is used to treat the imbalance. But there is no test to establish levels of these chemicals before patients are prescribed drugs and therefore, no way of knowing which chemicals are depleted and which ones aren’t. So there’s no way of measuring success either. Another issue: Over seventy percent of people who stop taking antidepressants enter into second and further episodes of stress, anxiety or depression. For another one third, they are totally ineffective. But if chemical imbalances haven’t been proven to cause these problems, why are they being treated?

2. Nutritionally deficient diet, either not eating enough fresh food or eating way too much junk food. There are many people throughout the world who don’t eat a good diet. Most of our forefathers would’ve struggled to eat the recommended 5 portions of fruit and vegetables every day. Does this mean all of these people suffered from stress, depression or anxiety? Highly unlikely. And I know people whose diet is largely junk and they don’t suffer from stress, depression or anxiety. Also, does it mean that everybody who eats a nutritionally sound diet won’t suffer from these problems? Again, and I include myself in this, there are people who eat a balanced, nutritionally sound diet but suffer from stress, depression or anxiety. Why?

3. Toxins. The premise here is that as our air is polluted, containing harmful, poisonous or toxic chemicals, the air we breathe is causing more and more people to enter into stressful or depressive episodes. If that is the case, then everybody who lives in a modern city – New York, LA, Tokyo, Athens, Paris, London, Mexico City, Rome, Berlin, Chicago, Moscow, etc. – must all be enduring the misery of mental torment because each of them breathe the same polluted air. Is this so? Of course not. And by the same rule, does it mean that if you live outside polluted cities, in coastal towns or villages in the beautiful countryside etc. – then you’re immune from mental trauma? Certainly it does not.

4. Trauma. This means that if you encounter a traumatic event, say death of a loved one, or moving home or relationship breakdown for example, such an event can cause stress, depression or anxiety. But such events happen to every human being and not all of them become depressed. This means that events cannot cause these problems, but the way we respond to them can.

5. Genetics. If your parents suffered these problems, you will too. This does hold a little truth. Because while there is no genetic link to these problems, you can learn the modes of behavior that cause these problems from parents throughout childhood. So, if your parents reacted to events in their lives in ways that caused them to be stressed, depressed or anxious, you will learn them too. The good news is that just as you learned them you can unlearn them.

The problem with all of the above is that they shift focus from outside yourself to try and find a “magic bullet” (drugs, diet, events, genetics, toxins) when the answer to them lies within yourself. None of the above can cause depression and therefore, you cannot find a cure by addressing them. Curing stress, depression and anxiety can only be done by treating the root cause and that root cause lies in the way you make sense out of everything in your life.

Once the root cause has been successfully addressed using a combination of knowledge, understanding and personal skills, stress, depression and anxiety will never cause you anguish ever again.

Copyright 2006 Christopher Green

Former anxiety sufferer Chris Green is the author of “Conquering Stress”, the internationally acclaimed program which will help you to permanently conquer stress, depression and anxiety without taking powerful drugs. For a free mini course, please click here => http://www.conqueringstress.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chris_Green

Improving Your Memory and Mental Health

By: Peter Lenkefi

Memoryis a large component of good mental health. Without it, we’d forget phone numbers, people’s names, or freeze up on a test. Of course, many of us do this anyway – I know I do quite frequently. So how can someone improve their mental health through memory? Here are some great ideas and exercises to get you started:

Mental Health: Repetition

The easiest and probably most well known way of memorizing someone’s name is to repeat it several times during a conversation. For instance, when meeting or leaving someone, use their name casually. By saying someone’s name out loud several times, while having that person right in front of you, your brain will connect the name with the person, and cement the information.

Mental Health: Visualization

Creating images in your head that use the item that you are trying to remember is another mental health technique. Take someone’s name that you don’t want to forget, and imagine it being written in neon lights across that person’s forehead. The more outrageous the idea, the better!

Mental Health: Associations

Make a mental association to remember someone’s name. For instance, if your friend Lou has long hair, you could say her name over and over again in your head as “Lou with the long hair”. I find that picturing people doing something that they’ve discussed they enjoy helps, too. So, Bob the violinist, Sarah the gardener, or chef Alex are all good ways to try and remember someone.

Mental Health: Pictures

When attending large functions with a great number of people, take pictures, and make a note of everyone’s name. Then, once the pictures are developed, you can refer back to the evidence as required for your own personal mental health.

Mental Health: Mnemonic Devices

Mnemonic devices are a mental health game that allows the user to remember names, speeches, test information, or other items that need to be remembered. The most common of the mnemonic devices are acronyms. Acronyms are words that are created by using the first letter of a series of words. For instance, MADD equals Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and USA equals the United States of America. Both are acronyms. Make up your own to use to help with mental health memory.

Mental Health: Acrostics

Acrostics are quite similar to acronyms in the mental health memory game, but instead they use the first letters in a sentence, such as “Every good boy does fine”, which is used to remember the letters in the treble clef in music. People with a bad memory can create their own acrostics to remember items they would normally forget.

All of these methods can be used regardless of the situation – at work, home, business or school. The mental health skill of being able to recall places, things, people or events is a strong precursor to personal strength and intelligence.

Article Source: http://www.mega-articles.com

For more more information about Improving Your Memory and Mental Health please visit 1health-center.com

Mental Illness Delaying Inner Peace - By: Jeff Miles

When a person goes through life living with mental illnesses, it often delays them from gaining inner peace. To all the mental ill patients in the world, I recommend you read all the FREE information available to you regarding your diagnoses, and learn to accept what you cannot change.

Sure, you are saying to your self easier said than done. Some of you might say this writer has no idea what she is talking about, or has no idea what I deal with in my mind. Wrong. I do have an overall idea of most mental illnesses, studied human behaviors my entire life, and lived and dealt with more mental ill persons than the average bear.

Thus, learning about what you are suffering can help you find inner peace. When a person knows what they live and who they are they often feel peace of mind. Furthermore, when a person learns to accept what they have and what the person cannot change, they often find inner peace.

Countless of people today are diagnosed with Bipolar and/or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder-ADHD. The two major problems touching the world today are affecting millions worldwide. To help you understand these diagnoses, if you are suffering, you must first realize that both Bipolar and ADHD are missing chemicals or faulty functions in the brain, which cause the symptoms to occur. Thus, you are not mentally ill; rather you have a need within the brain that requires restoration, which will provide you peace of mind. Still, mental ill does not mean you are crazy, rather it means your mind functions differently than other minds do.

Paranoid Schizophrenics often believe they are crazy and never learn to accept self. Unfortunately, this is one of the largest diagnoses that make it difficult for others to help them find inner peace. Still, it is a fault of the mind, since the Twin in the brain is faulty. Therefore, the mind is off balance, which creates the symptoms.

Other mental illnesses such as Oppositional-Defiant Disorder-ODD are common in society and rob individuals of their true inner peace. ODD is a dangerous disorder left alone, thus to obtain inner peace something has to give in the mind, and medications are needed to control the persons mind. ODD patients tend to act out defiantly under rule, and often fail to adhere to authority, at the same time the person acts out violently when emotions are threatened. Therefore, the person will need medications, and after spending hours with a few of these patients, I noticed a major overlook on expert’s part. Thus, many of these patients tend to have a medical deficiency that creates this reaction, which includes the hormones and thyroids.

Mental illnesses such as psychopathic tendencies, traits, or personality disorders exist in our society. To find inner peace for these people is next to impossible, since they lack the ability to show compassion, consideration, respect, et cetera to others rather than self. Many of these types self-worship and human creation has no value. Thus, to find inner peace while suffering this disorder is going to take the will of the person to seek out medical care, including thorough testing to determine if the hormones and thyroids play a part in the faulty ailment and will take determination to control the mind, which brings us to a problem?

Most people with these types of mental illnesses cannot benefit from mental health advice. Therefore, to find inner peace the person alone is going to need to come to terms with reality. This diagnoses, while experts claim is not incompetence or else insanity might need to re-assess the diagnosis. There are tips for helping such mental illnesses coming in the near future, but until learn to accept, and learn to control your behaviors to find inner peace.

For the most part, nearly all mental ailments have a resolve to find inner peace. Again, learn, accept, and grow to help you find your inner peace of mind. It is essential to take care of your health and mind when suffering mental ailments to find inner peace.

About the Author:

Jeff Miles shows you on his free website how to stop panic and anxiety attacks: little-Known, safe and powerful techniques to totally eliminate panic and anxiety out of your life, even if the doctors have given up. To find out more just visit: http://www.panic-anxiety-attack-guide.com and http://www.depression-self-esteem-stress-managementcom

Source: www.isnare.com

Depression: One Woman's Story - By Marsha Jordan

Sharon was talking to a friend on the phone one night. When her friend asked, "How are you?"

Sharon suddenly exploded with emotion. Without warning, she began sobbing and literally collapsed in a heap on the floor. Her friend came over and took Sharon's kids for the night.

Sharon cried for hours till she fell asleep. It was only the first of many sleepless nights.

She cried every day for months, never knowing when she might break down. She didn't need a reason. While driving to work in the morning, she would burst into tears. She worried about embarrassing herself, so she stayed home more and avoided people as much as she could.

Isolating herself made her feelings of loneliness worse. "Nobody understands what I'm going through," she told herself. She felt that her life was worthless because she could no longer function. She couldn't sleep, eat, or focus on anything. She was irritable and couldn't seem to get along with anyone anymore. She was disappointed and ashamed that she had let herself sink so low. She tried her best to pull herself out of this "funk." But she felt stuck. She felt guilty because her family deserved better treatment than she was able to give them. She concluded that they would be better off without her.

One day, while having an annual medical exam, Sharon's doctor asked how things were at home. Sharon began crying uncontrollably. When her doctor suggested that she was suffering from clinical depression, Sharon was surprised. She should have known, but she didn't.

The doctor prescribed anti-depressants and made an appointment for Sharon to talk with a therapist. Sharon didn't notice any improvement for a couple of weeks. It started slowly, but she gradually began to feel more peaceful and content. At this point, she was able to think more clearly and tackle small steps, one at a time, to work toward taking charge of her mental health.

As Sharon took better care of herself, she grew stronger, which helped her to continue on the path to wellness.

When she met with her doctor for a six week follow up, she told him, "I just wish I had sought help earlier. I could have avoided so much pain."

Author Marsha Jordan is founder of a nonprofit charity called Hugs and Hope for Sick Children (http://www.hugsandhope.org). More of her articles on depression are in her book, Hugs, Hope, and Peanut Butter, a compilation ofthought-provoking essays illustrated with drawings by critically ill children. Proceeds from book sales will benefit kids battling cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. In this book, the author combines hope with humor, drawing upon her own experience of living with chronic pain and depression for thirty years. She opens her life and her heart to share everyday experiences and the lessons God has taught her from them.

Other essays in the book include, "Ten Tips For Beating Depression," and "Why Doesn't God Answer My Prayer?" Order the book or learn more at http://www.hugsandhope.org/book.htm

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Marsha_Jordan

Releasing The Emotional Roots Of Anxiety - By Nick Arrizza, M.D.

Those of you who have ever experienced prolonged and unexplained periods of anxiety may have wondered more than once what the cause of it was for you.

When no known cause was apparent and the symptoms became intolerable or made you unable to function you likely may have turned to some form of medication or other modality to lessen its impact on your life.

To make it plain and easy to understand how I conceptualize the root cause of anxiety I will use the analog of a pot of water on a stove top.

Assume here that your awareness is limited strictly to the surface of the water in the pot. In other words you do not know that the pot is on a stove top and that the stove element is turn on to high.

What you see after some time is the turbulence on the surface of the water. Now if you had never experienced this before you might be hard pressed to explain what was going on. Of course you do know however that the water is being heated and that this is responsible for the turbulence.

Now if we go back to the situation with the anxiety. The symptoms of the anxiety which you experience emotionally, mentally and physically represent the turbulence on the surface of the water in the pot as it is being heated.

What does the heat represent in this case?

Well it represents all those uncomfortable feelings, thoughts and memories that you have stored within your mind/body (some call this the unconscious mind) that you are suppressing simply because if you allowed yourself to feel them you might not be able to function.

Unfortunately the "pressure" exerted on your conscious mind by this submerged material is great enough to make you aware of its presence. This is what you experience as the anxiety i.e. the turbulence on the surface of the water.

You have however sufficiently submerged the root causes of the discomfort (i.e. the memories themselves) and therefore cannot make a conscious link between the anxiety and their cause.

This tactic of trying to suppress uncomfortable memories is engaged because many "think" that by doing so they will push the offending material away and therefore feel better.

Well, like it or not, this never works. When this material is pushed away it only gets pushed inside and like a beach ball pushed into the shallow end of a swimming pool it will exert an equal and opposite force upward and outward into your conscious mind. The net result is that by trying to keep it submerged it only depletes your vital life energy.

The only way to effectively deal with the anxiety is to release the memory completely and thereby release the internal pressure. Most psychotherapies fail at this process because in doing so they leave the client vulnerable to re-experiencing the full force of the negative experience in what is termed an abreaction.

When this happens the client often feels re-traumatized and may leave therapy.

With a new modality called the Mind Resonance Process(TM) (MRP) the client gains considerable resilience and emotional strength as they are allowed to become aware of the offending material at their own desired pace. They also are able to completely, permanently and quickly release the offending material thereby reclaiming vast amounts of vital life energy.

This process is done over the telephone and is accessible by visiting the web link below.

Dr. Nick Arrizza is trained in Chemical Engineering, Business Management & Leadership, Medicine and Psychiatry. He is an Energy Psychiatrist, Healer, Key Note Speaker,Editor of a New Ezine Called "Spirituality And Science" (which is requesting high quality article submissions) Author of "Esteem for the Self: A Manual for Personal Transformation" (available in ebook format on his web site), Stress Management Coach, Peak Performance Coach & Energy Medicine Researcher, Specializes in Life and Executive Performance Coaching, is the Developer of a powerful new tool called the Mind Resonance Process(TM) that helps build physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well being by helping to permanently release negative beliefs, emotions, perceptions and memories. He holds live workshops, international telephone coaching sessions and international teleconference workshops on Physical. Emotional, Mental and Spiritual Well Being.

Web site: http://www.telecoaching4u.com/IntroConsult.htm

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nick_Arrizza,_M.D.

Do Natural Stress, Anxiety, and Depression Supplements Really Work? - By Tess Morris

Unfortunately, millions of Americans currently suffer from the debilitating effects of stress, anxiety, and depression. In the pharmaceutical industry, anti-anxiety medications and antidepressants are among the best-selling medications on the market.

The everyday stressors faced by Americans have simply become too much for many to bear, and reasonably so. In recent years, taking an anti-anxiety medication or antidepressant has become as common as taking a multivitamin. However, the side effects and long-term effects of such medications were for the most part unknown until recently.

In the past year, some of the drastic negative effects of such medications have come to light, much to the horror of patients and physicians alike. Anti-anxiety medications and antidepressants have been linked to addiction, severe withdrawal, weight gain, vertigo, and even suicide and death. To treat the symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression, without negative health implications, many are now turning to natural supplements -- safely and with much success.

Most consumers are confused about which natural stress, anxiety, and depression supplements to take. Fortunately, there are now a few promising natural supplements on the market which offer truly effective results, safely. The challenge lies in distinguishing the effective products from the one's that are based more on marketing hype. It is critical that the product you choose contains those ingredients proven effective for treatment through clinical study, and that those ingredients are of the highest grade and included in the proper dosage in the product. This is the key to getting the results you desire – freedom from stress, anxiety, and depression.

After researching nearly every available natural anxiety product on the market today I can tell you that many products contain low-grade ingredients in amounts far too small to be truly effective. There are a few, however, with clinical research behind them that also contain quality ingredients in efficacious doses.

These products offer the definite potential to counter your emotional and physical responses to stress, anxiety, and depression. After review of the products and the available scientific literature only those products that met the criteria were recommended, Here is a list of the Top The Top 10 Stress, Anxiety and Depression Supplements On The Market Today:

1) Anxietol 7™
2) Welatonin™
3) Pinadol™
4) Seredyn™
5) Prosera™
6) Amoryn™
7) Euphorx™
8) HerbVal Supra™
9) Clarocet-NRI™
10) Relora™

Tess is a contributing consultant, columnist, and writer for various health, fitness. and medical publications. Her new book "Natural Relief For Anxiety and Depression" is scheduled for release in June 2005.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tess_Morris

Quick Steps To Reduce Your Worries - By Ed Smith

Looking for a way to reduce the amount of worrying you do?

Edward W. Smith, motivational speaker, author and TV show host, who specializes in quick tips on how to move your life ahead even faster, offers the following advice.

First most worries don't stand up to close scrutiny, so write down clearly, each of the things you are worried about. Your first reaction will probably be one of amusement at yourself, as some of the things that haunted you prior to writing them down, look silly when written out. Next, take each item and make a list of all the things you can do about it. This shows you that in most cases you will be worried about something that you can't control at all and that your worry serves no purpose. In the case where you can do something to reduce the worry, your sense of control is enhanced, making you feel better. Finally ask yourself what is the worst thing that could happen with each worry. In most cases you will find you can live with even the worst outcome and this will also make you feel better. Now don't you feel better already?

Contact Information Edward W. Smith, 201-568-0019, edsmith@brightmoment.com, www.brightmoment.com, PO box 8106, Englewood NJ 07631-8106

Copyright Edward W. Smith 2005

Edward W. Smith is the author of Sixty Seconds To Success, hosts and produces the Bright Moment TV show, is a motivational speaker, is president of the Bright Moment Seminars, and publishes a free, daily, email of the One Minute Motivator

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Female Depression - By Yana Mikheeva

is considered that women suffer from depression much more often, than men, and it’s more difficult for them to overcome this condition. Experts pick out 8 most popular kinds of female depression.

1. Post-natal

It is observed during several months right after childbirth. This kind of depression is caused by sharp changes in life style, constant dependence from other person and sense of increased responsibility. Often it’s very difficult for a young mother to blend with her new role quickly and correctly.

Way of struggle: don’t try to subdue yourself or play a role of a loving mother. This is quite normal, if you don’t sense any feelings towards your baby at first. There is time for everything. Now you have to get used to new changes and enter a new rhythm of life. And you will learn to cope with a role of mother with time, and you will do this very well. Don’t refuse from your relatives’ help. You need time to come to your senses after returning from maternity hospital.

2. Age-dependent

As a rule, women of climacteric age suffer from it. During this period, a hormonal background of organism changes, and quite often depressive condition is observed. Coming of menopause also brings a strong psychological pressure, and this may unsettle a woman.

Way of struggle: coming of climacteric does not mean the approaching of old age at all. Nobody knows about changes happened in you, except yourself. Cessation of menstruation is an absolutely natural process for a female organism, and you should not make a tragedy out of it. So, try not to change your previous way of life. Don’t also forget about hormonal therapy’s possibilities. You just should consult your doctor for sure.

3. Monthly

This kind of depression is also called premenstrual. Depressive condition can be observed as shortly before menstruation, as during or right after it, everything depends on a certain organism’s peculiarities.

Way of struggle: you will have no place to hide from monthly depression. Most likely, you have already noticed long ago, in which days of your cycle you can hardly control yourself. Try to relieve these days a little beforehand, don’t plan anything important and stay at home, if you can. It is not out of place to consult a gynaecologist: you may need a hormone replacement therapy or vitamin course.

4. Exhaustion

It is also called a depression of chronic tiredness. It is observed, when a woman overestimates her strengths and has increased responsibility for the duties she assumes. If you don’t alternate work with rest, then a moment comes, when you already cannot carry out previous volume of work and suffer because of this.

Way of struggle: you need a full rest, and you will not do with one day off. You need to get away from your work not only physically, but also mentally. And try to observe daily regimen after vacation, and don’t start working in intensive rhythm. You need to learn planning your powers, to be able to function constantly.

5. Reactive

Or, as it is also called, a depression of loss. It is caused by death of our close people. Many people think that they quarreled with their close ones shortly before their death or harmed their close people and did not manage to win forgiveness. Most serious cases are those when a person blames himself directly or marginally in his close person’s death.

Way of struggle: Try to understand that death is a natural and irreversible process. You need to accept it as inevitability as soon as possible. Don’t suppress your emotions, cry and scream, if you want. Believers find support in confession or just visit a church. Atheists can find help visiting psychotherapist. And the main thing is to remember that there’re still many close people who need you.

6. Dissatisfaction

At that, dissatisfaction can be both of sexual character and psychological one. When one suppresses any of his wishes too violently, then dissatisfaction is saved inside and leads to depression.

Way of struggle: of course, it’s better to satisfy all needs of your organism in time. But sometimes it’s impossible. If you suffer from sexual dissatisfaction, try to understand that love and sex are 2 different things. And you should not refuse from one, if you don’t have other. You also should not forget about a possibility of self-fulfillment. If you suffer from psychological dissatisfaction, it’s useful to keep a diary, where you will write all your unvoiced thoughts and feelings. By the way, paper is a very good interlocutor. It will not ever interrupt you and tell your secrets to anybody.

7. Medical

It is caused by excessive, not controlled by a doctor, taking of some medical preparations. In general, these are soporifics and especially demulcents, affecting central nervous system.

Way of struggle: firstly, you need to quit self-treatment and take any, even most harmless, preparations only under your doctor’s control. Secondly, if you were prescribed antidepressants, you need to keep to a diet closely. Many antidepressants lose their effect interacting with some foodstuff. Alcohol is categorically contra-indicated during treatment. Any alcoholic drinks, when combined with antidepressants, can cause sharp defects of cardiovascular system work. It’s almost impossible to cure medical depression without assistance. So, if you have found some depressive symptoms in you, consult a doctor immediately.

8. Circumstances

As a rule, it appears under most insignificant irritating factors in seared and psychically unstable people. Anything can serve as a reason of depressive condition: bad weather, good weather, discomfort conditions of life, TV news and any sounds.

Way of struggle: in this case, you will hardly cope with depressive condition by yourself. Most likely, as soon as you liquidate one irritating factor, another one will appear at once. And you will keep on going this way endlessly. So, it’s preferable to consult professionals for help. A professional will not only save you from a momentary depressive condition, but also will find a real reason of your psychological disorder.

Yana Mikheeva is the creator of All about women site, it is an on-line resource for women and about women. Here you can find articles on various subjects, such as: diets, receipts, health, cellulite, figure, aromatherapy, wholesome food, psychology of relationships, pregnancy, parenting, fashion and many others. She also has Blog for women

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Practical Spirituality—Understanding The Roots of Depression IV - By John Gilmore

We have written several articles on depression, previously, and this is our final one. If you have missed any of the previous articles please visit our free Practical Spirituality Journal at www.dswellness.com, or you can find more articles like this on this e-zine. We discussed dealing with one’s self esteem, we discussed finding friends and institutions that will support you in your efforts, instead of undermining them. Now we will discuss working on the root of the problem.

The Shaolin say that you cannot work on a problem by working on the outgrowth, you must work on the root. If you work on the branches of a bad tree thinking that you can get rid of the tree that way, you are mistaken. You must work on the root. Many of the things that we have been discussing, though important, are the outgrowth. We will discuss the root of the problem today. “What is the root?” you may ask. The root is obvious. Just take a bit of time to sit, relax, and think about it and it will appear right before your eyes.

Open a magazine, turn on the television, go to a movie. Look at all of the people that you see and hear. These people are designated as the best, the most talented, and therefor, the richest.

These are the people we are supposed to look like and become like, but we can’t and never will, because we are not them. In truth, these people were chosen because of their potential to make money by those who had money. They were given access to the media to make money and to support large staffs of people who used them and put them up front..

This sounds very simple and negative, doesn’t it? But it isn’t unbelievable. It is quite obvious. It is not totally negative for the actors and actresses. They worked hard to get where they are. They studied, struggled, some even went hungry to get the money and fame. They gave their lives to the consumer system to make it and to do what their hearts wanted most. If you are willing to give your life to the consumer system completely you can make it too and be rich, famous. The problem is that you don’t want that. You are not willing to sell your soul to the system so can’t do the things you would like and are depressed. The truth is, however, that many of them have everything that they thought they wanted and they are still depressed, because they are part of a big business.

We have a narrow view of ourselves as human beings. We usually strive and seek for that which we already have. In a consumer society we often think that we can fill the holes with things, or with cash. The truth is that we already have the greatest riches that anyone could have, our selves as we are, and our creative abilities. When we begin to live in reality we realize this, but this takes dismantling the illusion that is constructed so well around us.

The illusion can readily be seen as we watch a screen writers imagination unfold before us and think that is the way the world is, and that is what people look like. That is her imagination. It isn’t real. What is real is feeling the sun against one’s skin. It is waking up to see a brilliant red streak across the horizon as the sun rises. It is looking up at the sky and feeling oneself drawn up and away from one’s ordinary boring, or frantic life. We don’t value them, because they don’t have a monetary worth. They are priceless. All of these things are so beautiful because they are drawing us back to who we really are. We are not looking at anything except ourselves. We are part of the universe given the ability to look upon itself and realize itself. When we do not live our lives aligned with this belief, the true knowledge of who and what we are, depression always follows. The truth is that we are priceless.

Depression, created by our own minds, is there nudging us and making us uncomfortable so we will continue to move, to seek the true riches of life. We don’t know what the true riches are, because they have been replaced with the artificial—a bunch of things synonymous with happiness. One thing about depression that many depressed people have probably noticed is an overwhelming feeling of all of the negativity that exists in the universe. It feels like a dark blanket and it forces one deeper inside, or moves one, by force outside of oneself into every thing diffusing one’s energy. The difference between depression and enlightenment is that one usually notices an overwhelming feeling of joy. One can, therefor, turn around depression by learning to perceive the joy in the universe. What this takes is just a turning of the head.

When you drive a motorcycle into a curve it is said that you look to the end of the curve. The position of your head affects your balance on the bike and therefor the direction in which the bike moves. The same is true about life. When you look at all of the horror and pain and thing of all you don’t have, your inner life goes in that direction. When you look at all of the beauty and abundance, your inner life goes in that direction. Please think on these things for a few moments. You can purposely look at all of the beauty.

You have been fighting for too long to attain what you have already had, and what people have constantly been telling you, you don’t have and won’t have until they give it to you. You have worth, you have grace, you are strong, smart and beautiful now. Through meditation, the right peer group, and the right institutions you can realize this and then your depression will change form and just become a brief reminder for you to relax and think deeply. It will change form and regress to that for which it naturally evolved—a signal to introspection and rest.

The root cause of depression is probably not a chemical imbalance. No one knows what comes first, the depression or the chemical imbalance. The root cause is wrong thinking. The root cause is wanting what one does not have, wanting to be someone other than oneself, and listening to others people’s ideas of who and what you should be and accepting them more then you accept your own thoughts. If you can change this, which can be done through many forms of prayer and meditations from the Buddhist tradition, depression will no longer be a problem. When you realize who you truly are and that you are connected with every other living being, as Brian Swimme wrote, “you will never be alone.”

Dr. J. W. Gilmore is a Writer, Spiritual Director, Anti-oppression Consultant and Wellness Consultant. He is a Certified Massage Therapist and Reflexologist, a Reiki Master Teacher, a Martial Arts Instructor and a Spiritual Coach living in Costa Rica.

For more article like this or similar information visit: http://www.dswellness.com Recommended book, On Being Love’s Warrior: A Warriors Manual on Becoming the Compassionate Warrior Within, Dr. Kendall Ronin.

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Treatment for Depression and Anxiety: Is Taking Prescription Medication for Anxiety the Best Option? - By Tess Thompson

Here is the good news about anxiety disorders: They are treatable. There are a variety of treatments for anxiety, including behavioral therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, relaxation techniques and medication. But the question more and more patients are posing to their doctors is: Is prescription medication the best treatment option?

Anxiety is complicated to diagnose because it is often found to be a symptom of other medical conditions or a side effect of other behaviors. For example, some people react to too much caffeine by exhibiting symptoms of anxiety disorders, including, occasionally, panic attacks. Other conditions that can be accompanied by anxiety are hypoglycemia, hyperthyroid, insomnia, premenstrual syndrome and, most often, depression.

When a patient who is suffering from depression is also suffering from anxiety disorder, doctors can often see it as a good sign. In general, it means that the person has not accepted or given in to their depressed condition, and is anxious about it. To alleviate the anxiety, doctors can recommend different types of therapy, each of which can work equally well. Most doctors recommend cognitive-behavioral therapy, which helps the patient first to identify the cause of his anxiety, talks him through it, and then slowly and carefully exposes him to situations which make him feel anxious and teaches him how to cope.

In addition to therapy and learned relaxation techniques, doctors will sometimes recommend prescription medication for anxiety -- most often benzodiazepines like Xanax. These medications should not be taken for more than a few months at a time and should not be relied upon as a permanent treatment option. They can be highly addictive and can also produce disturbing side effects, which makes many examine them closely before agreeing to try them.

In many cases, anxiety can be treated without any medication at all. In cases where medication is recommended, there are also natural treatment options for those who are reluctant to begin a regimen that includes prescription medications. If you decide to pursue this route to anxiety relief, look for remedies that include ingredients like passion flower, which is also used to alleviate hypertension, insomnia and nervous tension. Other effective ingredients are lavender, which is one of the most popular panic attack treatments, and lemon balm, a natural anxiety treatment that also serves as a general tonic for the nervous system.

Whichever methods you employ, remember that there are many effective methods of treatment for anxiety and depression, and that patience and persistence will eventually lead you the healthy option that is best for you.

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Tess Thompson is a Homeopathic Practitioner, Reflexologist, Certified Aromatherapist, and Herbalist who contributes regularly to Native Remedies - where you can find All Natural Homeopathic and Herbal Remedies for many health conditions including natural treatments for anxiety and panic attack treatments.

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