Mental & Emotional Health

I’m embarking on several new projects right now and having fun with it all but can only keep up with so much at a time. To take care of my own health I decided to stop writing at Mental & Emotional Health.

Today I’m having fun alternating between catching some sunshine with the kids and creating candles for my little online store that’s opening soon. I hope that you all get some time to do something that you enjoy that brings you peace.

Focusing on finances alone won’t bring peace but when you can balance that with your passions and spirituality things tend to come together. I wanted to send some peaceful healthy vibes out before I left but you can still catch me at Parenting Under the Stars, Globally Green Living, Candle Making at Craft Gossip and Suite101.

Misleading research is often published in major medical journals and doctors are lending their names to it, the editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association said on Tuesday. (Misleading Medical Research Common, Maggie Fox, WASHINGTON, Apr. 15, 2008 )

I imagine that’s been going on for a while. A doctor put me on an antidepressant that she said would help when I was going back to college. I’m already laid back but the meds made me zombified. When it came time to do one of my flash projects, it looked like a bad acid trip.

I did get off of it and managed to get my diploma but I think she was getting kick backs from the pharmaceutical company since it was a new drug at the time. Many antidepressants help people and I don’t mean to discourage anyone from going on them but this one wasn’t for me. Oh yeah, also no sex drive. Some of the side effects can be depressing on their own.

If I was deeply depressed I do think the trade off would be worth it but at the time it just seemed inconvenient. It got me thinking about how many people have medications suggested to them that are not necessary or appropriate by their doctors.

Everyone reacts differently to meds so what might not work for one may work for another. It does seem that if the doctors were being paid more prescribing certain medications it would be bound to make them more biased.

Do you think drug companies influencing doctors and patients is a problem? If so, do you have any suggestions, experiences or solutions to share?

This is a guest post written by Derek Williams.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (or S.A.D.) is a chemical imbalance causing depression that usually occurs in the winter months. The imbalance is due to lack of natural sunlight and the short days of winter sunlight that affect the hypothalamus of the brain.

It is estimated that half a million people suffer from S.A.D. during the winter months and many more have systems that are border-line depression caused by the lack of sunlight during this season. The milder cases of depression are called subsyndromal S.A.D. or the “winter blues”.

The symptoms of S.A.D. usually occur starting between September and November and continuing through March or April.

S.A.D. symptoms include (but are not limited to) :

• Mood swings- From depression to hypomania in some cases are an indication of S.A.D.

• Loss of Sex Drive- A noticeable decrease in the libido and physical contact.

• Attacks of Anxiety- Tension and a lower tolerance to the minor mishaps of daily living.

• Social Issues- A desire to avoid social contact and problems when doing so.

• Depression- Feelings of inadequacy, low self esteem, unexplained guilt, sadness, loss, and hopelessness.

• Overeating- Cravings for food (usually sweet) that tend to lead to weight gain.

• Lethargy- Feelings that one cannot carry out daily tasks because of tiredness and an inability to get the energy to function normally.

• Sleeping Disorders- Either sleeping too much or the inability to get a normal night’s sleep. Some people report early morning wakefulness.

S.A.D sufferers usually have weakened immune systems and tend to fall victim to more infections that do most people.

There is hope for those who suffer from S.A.D. Light therapy and anti-depressants have been effective in many cases, and the S.A.D sufferer can once again be a happy, productive member of society.

For more help or information see:

• The Seasonal Affective Disorder Association

• Depresssion & SAD at About.com

This is a guest post by Derek Williams. He has taken numerous psychology courses in university and is interested in continuing to explore ways to improve mental and emotional health.

Many of us live lives that are full of chaos and disruptive factors. We long for the peace that comes when the children are finally at school or the baby is asleep or the whole house is at a quiet standstill.

However, it is during these active and sometimes chaotic times that we can find ourselves losing our tempers with family members (or close friends). It is often when you are asked a simple question such as “when will supper be ready?” or “have you seen my blue math book?” that the kettle finally reaches its’ boiling point.

Some of us can’t help but to let go with a barrage of yelling about everything that our busy day has entailed from the time that we woke up to the present state that they now find ourselves in. But who is this barrage directed at?

Surely one single person has not caused us to be so stressed that they need to hear it (and hear it in spades). There has not been a child or a husband or any family member or friend that has caused this build-up of emotion to finally release it in their general direction. So why then do we direct the fruits of a rotten or stressful day in the direction of a loved one that has not caused all of this tension?

Truth be known, it is usually a matter of convenience. The person who we sometimes explode on is usually in the wrong place at the wrong time. This unfortunate scenario is known as redirection of anger. We even find ourselves yelling at a family pet when we’ve had one of “those days”

Next time before you blow up at someone who doesn’t deserve the full force of your wrath due to daily stresses, stop, step back and look at the situation. To use two clichés back to back, will you let spilled milk be the straw that breaks the camel’s back? Let’s hope not. Keep your head and let the little things go.

1. Say No

Life is too short to try to please everyone. Sometimes it’s best to say no if you’re feeling overburdened. If it’s a friend, they will probably understand and if they don’t you might want to consider whether to continue the friendship if it seems to be based on what they can get out of you.

2. Have a Sense of Humor

The ability to laugh at life and its strange turns is invaluable. When you take things too seriously and dwell on what horrible experiences you had it can lead to high stress, ulcers and other health problems. While you won’t look back at all hard times fondly, they often do build character.

3. Exercise

Pick an exercise you can live with and work it into your schedule. Many people join fancy gyms in the New Year but it’s not everyone’s thing. Maybe you would rather walk, play tennis, dance, jog, swim or canoe. Pick something you will enjoy so that you can stick with it. Exercise releases endorphins so is a natural and effective antidepressant for many people.

4. Have a Plan and Take Action

Use a daily planner and include what can be realistically accomplished in one day. If you add too many things to your schedule, it encourages procrastination because you may not be able to finish the tasks. This can then cause you to be stressed and overwhelmed.

While planning is important, action is more important. Even when you make mistakes, you learn and can fine tune your plan by persisting and making it better. If you don’t even try, you lose the opportunity to practice, learn and grow.

5. Think Positive

This might take practice and include methods such as thought stopping. You can do this by canceling out negative thoughts and replacing them with positive thoughts. There are various methods but two of the most popular are simply saying stop to yourself or snapping an elastic band on your wrist to interrupt the negative thought.

6. Avoid Drugs and Alcohol

Using substances to cope with stress is a crutch that temporarily masks pain but makes you feel worse in the end.

7. Eat right

What you put into your body makes an enormous difference in how you feel physically and mentally. Your body can’t function well for long running on coffee and donuts so will eventually crash and burn.

8. Have Patience

Having patience helps avoid a heap of trouble and stress. It enables you think before you speak and slow down and enjoy the time that you have with loved ones. Sometimes patience gives you the opportunity to make new friends in unexpected places. When you’re in a long shopping line for example rather than grumble at the person ahead of you, you could strike up a conversation with a stranger or acknowledge to the cashier how busy he or she is. You could also take that time as an opportunity to catch up on some reading.

9. Rest and Relaxation

Try to make sure you get enough rest. Having a nighttime ritual helps rest come easier so if you read, have a bath and go to bed at the same time every night it becomes a relaxing routine.

Taking breaks throughout your day helps decrease stress as well and often you can think better if you step away from a task for 15 or 20 minutes. You could use this time for visualization, walking or just enjoying nature.

10. Prioritize

Consider whether it’s really that important to press the point of a silly argument and let the little things go. Put what’s important to you first and concentrate on those things such as your family, friends and love. What does it matter how successful you seem in the eyes of acquaintances if you have no time for your family.

On this Nova program on aging, scientists were investigating why some live longer than others do.

The bottom line seems to be good genes because several people who lived to be 100 admitted to leading what some would consider unhealthy lifestyles. Most of them had parents and grandparents who lived long lives so it does seem to be passed down in the genes.

Cholesterol

It was discovered that 60% of the centurions had high HDL cholesterol levels (the good fat). Their HDLs were also larger so could fight the bad fat more effectively.

• To learn more about research and experiments with genes that may help you live longer, watch the segment on aging at Nova Science Now.

Secrets Before You Die

What were not studied were the attitudes of people who lived longer than average. It did come out with a few of them though because one couple mentioned that they didn’t feel old and they seemed fairly active.

When you focus on helping others and enjoying the present, you don’t have time to worry about aging or dying. In Dr. John Izzo’s book Five Secrets Before You Die one of the secrets is to live the moment.

“I came to believe that through this secret, live the moment, they were telling me to judge my life less and enjoy it more.” said Dr.Izzo. It was an excellent book and he interviewed over 200 wise elders so that they could help share their secrets in his book.

While the Nova investigation was interesting, I find it ironic that the people who did live to be 100 didn’t seem to obsess about what they ate or drank, yet they managed to live long lives.

I was reading about a 37-year-old Ukrainian man named Leonid Stadnyk, who at 8 feet 5 inches tall is the word’s tallest man. His unusual height came about from an over stimulated pituitary gland that was the result of an operation on his brain when he was 14.

He lives in a house in a small village with his widowed mother. Since he doesn’t like the spotlight, he has mostly kept to himself but it’s hard not to be noticed when you’re that tall.

After refusing several times to be measured by the Guinness world book of records, he finally succumbed. Although he enjoys solitary activities like gardening, he is appreciative of the support since it has helped make his life, home and family more comfortable.

Leonid has received the world’s biggest bicycle and Ukraine’s president has given him a special oversized car. He was also given a computer so has developed many supportive online friendships.

Previously he went through some hard times since he had to quit his former job at a cattle farm as a veterinarian after getting frostbite from walking to work in his socks. He couldn’t afford shoes for his huge feet. Another health problem for Leonid is knee pain and he sometimes needs crutches to help support his 440 lb frame.

Garden Therapy

“I do not smoke, do not drink. Every penny I can save I spend on buying seeds and seedlings. The garden is a place for me. Height doesn’t matter there,” said Leonid (Too Tall to Be Happy)

There is no judgment in the garden. Gardening is good therapy and I find it peaceful and empowering at the same time.

I only got into it in the last couple of years and at first grew a few flowers in the front. Then I dug up a strip in our small back yard and planted some herbs and vegetables. Some of them fizzled out but some thrived. Thankfully my mother and a few of my friends were around to advise me and each year is more successful.

It doesn’t matter what you look like or what you know or where you’re from in the garden because we can all make things grow.

• For more information on Leonid see the video “World’s Tallest Man Has Trouble Fitting In” and Wikipedia’s page on Leonid Stadnyk.

• See Portable Garden and Horticultural Therapy for garden therapy resources.

I have been reading about zen lately and working on letting go of negative things such as blame, judgments, cravings and rushing around.

It’s common for people to multi task and it’s often encouraged and even admired to be so busy that you don’t have time to stop for even a minute. Sometimes we work to escape so we don’t have time to stop and be alone with our thoughts.

If tasks are done with the expectation that when complete they will bring happiness, it’s a huge let down when they do not. There’s nothing wrong with setting goals either and in fact it’s a good idea to plan some things in advance but if you are not satisfied now, you are not likely to be later either.

• I love this quote: ‘If I had a little more, I should be very satisfied.’ You make a mistake. If you are not content with what you have, you would not be satisfied if it were doubled. –Charles Haddon Spurgeon

There are so many celebrities that have overdosed or committed suicide. I often wonder if it’s because they had everything they thought would bring them happiness only to realize it wasn’t enough.

How to stop searching and be satisfied now?

• A gratitude journal is a very good way of realizing what you have to be grateful for and to stop taking things for granted. It only takes a few minutes to come up with five things for the day.

• Meditation is also a good way to quiet your soul because it clears your mind of clutter and puts you in the present moment. When you are still and focus on your breathing and/or just enjoy nature you come away refreshed.

• Simply stopping to enjoy the simple things in life is important to your peace of mind. Savor the flavors of your food slowly, stop a minute to look at that dandelion a child has pointed out, stop and listen a minute to the street musician on the corner.

• Taking the time to help someone else is satisfying. Donating money is not the only way you can contribute to helping others. Volunteering, visiting a sick friend or calling someone you know is lonely are all ways that you can give your time. By helping others, you also help yourself by putting things in perspective.

Just sharing something light for the holiday weekend. It looks like I’m more right brained according to the Blogthing quiz which is no big surprise.

For more information and another quiz, see What Right Brain Left Brain is All About.

Happy Easter to all who celebrate!

You Are 35% Left Brained, 65% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning. Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others. If you’re left brained, you are likely good at math and logic. Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet.The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility. Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way. If you’re right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art. Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

Are You Right or Left Brained?

Thanks to Fear and Anxiety (learn to live without them), I came across an enormous list of stranger phobias.

• Ablutophobia- Fear of washing. This one has to be challenging. Fear of bathing or water is not that uncommon especially with children.

• Cryophobia is the fear of cold or ice. This would be a difficult phobia because even in warm weather would probably stay away from ice cream, popsicles, ice cubes etc.

Lachanophobia- Fear of vegetables. Having a legitimate fear of vegetables cannot be easy because the darned things are everywhere.

• Thaasophobia- Fear of sitting. I cannot even imagine this one but it would definitely interfere with participating in many things such as meetings, classrooms etc.

Pluviophobia- Fear of rain or of being rained on. Can’t be fun. Have you noticed how many people start running very quickly when it rains though?

• At Life in the Fast Lane, there’s an excellent listing of the 60 Weirdest Phobias People You Know May Have.

Treating Phobias

Everyone has been afraid of something at some point or another. A phobia is different in that usually people know the fear isn’t rational and yet they still can’t control it.

Phobias are frequently treated with behavior therapy or exposure. Over time the hope is that the fears will become reduced and eventually subside.

Flooding is a quicker method where a person is exposed for a lengthier time. Apparently, you can only be full of anxiety for so long so after 40 minutes or so your fear usually subsides.

I’m curious if this is the method Dr.Phil’s guests with phobias are exposed to because many of them seem cured in a hurry. Not everyone can deal with this and if it’s used needs to be supervised by a professional.

More Information on Phobias and Help

At the Phobia List, check out the huge list of phobias that took years to collect. There is also resources for help with your phobias if you need it. (Phobia Links)

I have been horribly distracted lately by noise so was pondering how much that might contribute to our mental and emotional health. I enjoy some music but screeching loud voices, ambulances driving by, snoring and blasting televisions get to me.

Occasionally I can tune things out but certain sounds I cannot. At night I sleep with a fan running so that I can’t hear noises from neighbors outside or next door.

Everyone here seems to manage to drift off no matter what’s going on. Wild parties, thumping, snoring, dripping taps, nothing deters them from going to sleep.

• Since I’m an introvert I think that adds to my noise sensitivity. If you’re interested in taking a personality test, there’s a free online one based on the Jung Myers-Briggs typology although most people already have a good idea anyway.

There are probably plenty of extroverts who have trouble sleeping as well and get disturbed by noises. When I googled sleep and noise, pages full of white noise products came up. A fan works for me and it’s much cheaper. It might look a little strange in the winter but I’m not using it to impress anyone.

Relaxation Methods

To relax before bed meditation works well but if there’s a racket going on it’s hard to do. Soft music helps cover some noise and there are some relaxation tapes and CDs made specifically for meditation.

It’s important to get enough exercise also and if you don’t have a physically demanding job, it’s a good idea to work some sort of physical exercise into your daily routine. I find I’m a lot more wound up if I fail to take my daily walk. Yoga and Tai Chi also promote relaxation and if you’re interested in learning more there’s 22 pages of useful information at SolveYourProblem.com. (Exercise and Sleep Restfully)

You wouldn’t think clutter sucks your energy and brings you down but it does. Rodika Tchi, the Feng Shui guide on About.com shares her take on How to Clear Your Clutter With Feng Shui. She makes some good points about how cleaning up clutter and organizing your space takes time and effort.

That does explain why many put it off including me. Your outer surroundings do often reflect how you’re feeling inside. If it’s cluttered around you, you’re probably cluttered inside with emotions as well.

Our main entrance is a nightmare but that’s because we don’t have a closet there. It’s in a very odd place way down the hall. If you saw the entrance right now, you would assume twenty people lived here because of all the pairs of shoes.

• I’m a bit of a pack rat but would like to become more organized. Instead of waiting for more energy I’m going to declutter and see if that doesn’t increase my energy. My sister is brilliant with that stuff and is actually going to become a professional organizer. I would love to have her over but need to tidy up first. I am still extremely uncomfortable in a home that does not look somewhat lived in. Throw a magazine on the coffee table or something!

I know someone who has a trunk full of stuff because there is not enough room in his house but the weight is really starting to strain on his car. He might need it some day though. See, I know I have a bit of a problem because I’m trying to find someone worse off.

Clutter and Hoarding

Over at the Psychology of Clutter Dr. Ragan wrote an interesting article about the difference between clutter and hoarding. (When is it Clutter and When is it Hoarding) Hoarders become extremely anxious about throwing anything out even if they know it’s useless. According to Dr.Ragan, it’s considered a form of an anxiety disorder. Clutterers are just disorganized although of course can be mentally ill as well.

Ending happy hours and increasing alcohol taxes is what the British Medical Association is lobbying for to fight alcohol abuse. Other suggestions were to stop selling alcohol earlier and to lower the blood alcohol level for driving.

“Britain is among of the hardest drinking countries in Europe, and the country’s alcohol-related death rate almost doubled between 1991 and 2005 — from 6.9 to 12.9 per 100,000 people.” (UK Doctors Urge Higher Tax on Alcohol)

I don’t know if they are really worse off because they have less homicides than America, yet one suggestion was to look to America because of the higher drinking age.

We ended happy hour in bars in Ontario, Canada years ago but then they decided to stay opened a couple hours later so I imagine they’re selling more alcohol than they ever did.

Apparently, in Britain they even have a bus deemed the booze bus because it’s specifically for scraping drunken people off the streets. Increasing the drinking age wouldn’t hurt regardless but that’s not going to stop people from drinking, especially if they’re already addicted. Raising the price won’t stop anyone either.

What may help is educating people on the damage abusing alcohol can cause. It damages families, causes financial hardships and health problems. Crime and violence tend to increase with higher amounts of alcohol consumption as well.

I don’t think the government changing the laws will make much difference. Offering more support for addiction treatment and educating young people on responsible drinking before they get to the legal drinking age might.

The example that adults show their children is the largest influencing factor for their future behavior and that includes how much they may drink. If children see others reach for a drink to handle stresses, that is probably what they will end up doing because it becomes the norm.

A study by researchers in Finland found that music helps increase alertness so stimulates the brain, which helps it recover from strokes.

The fact that many are inactive after a stroke shows the need for stimulation and music exposure makes sense. Of course, it helps if the style of music is something that people actually enjoy. In this study, they were able to select their preferred music.

“We found that three months after the stroke, verbal memory improved from the first week post-stroke by 60 percent in music listeners, by 18 percent in audio book listeners and by 29 percent in non-listeners,” Sarkamo says. (Listening to Music Improves Stroke Patients’ Recovery, Science Daily, February 21, 2008)

Teppo Sarkamo cautioned others not to give up on other forms of therapy because of the study but consider using it in addition to other therapies.

• Music therapy is also known to help reduce depression and alleviate pain. This is not really breaking news and many people figure this out on their own. I listen to music constantly and use it to help motivate, soothe, and generally improve my mood. I rarely do housework without music playing and I sing so much to my kids that it probably drives them crazy.

The fact that music also seems to help stroke patients recover is promising and I imagine it generally improves their quality of life while hospitalized. It can’t be too stimulating being inactive in the hospital without music. I remember reading about a woman in a coma who when she finally awoke said the only think that saved her sanity was the fact that someone turned on the radio for her.

A study published in December,2007 in the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology found people over 65 could lower their risk of developing dementia by up to 29 percent.

They didn’t say exactly why this was but a theory that made sense was that it gets the blood flow pumping better through the brain. This lessens the likelihood of strokes, which also affects the memory.

Luckily, moderate exercise is still effective like walking because once you’re over 65 you may not be into anything too strenuous.

“Our findings show moderate physical activity, such as walking, and all physical activities combined lowered the risk of vascular dementia in the elderly independent of several sociodemographic, genetic and medical factors,” said study author Giovanni Ravaglia, MD, with University Hospital S. Orsola Malpighi, in Bologna, Italy. “It’s important to note that an easy-to-perform moderate activity like walking provided the same cognitive benefits as other, more demanding activities.” (ScienceDaily, Dec. 21, 2007—ST. PAUL, Minn)