Archive for July 28th, 2010

Is Laughter Really the Best Stress Medicine For Dealing With Stress?

There are so many different things that we have to go through in life on a regular basis and one of the more difficult is the stress that we may be experiencing. Some of us have stress at home, and this can be some of the more difficult to deal with, especially because we tend to need to deal with it on our own. Stress at work is also difficult to handle and many of us may find ourselves in a situation where we are doing the job of two people but only getting the appreciation that would come to one person. In order to overcome these problems, an outlet needs to be found.There is an old saying that laughter is the best stress medicine, and many of us tend to agree that it is an excellent way for us to be able to overcome the stress that we are feeling. A few moments of laughing can help to lighten our mood and makes the problems that we are experiencing during the day vanish from before our eyes. Unlike other forms of stress relief, such as stretching or meditation, laughter is not always going to be the appropriate way for you to be able to get rid of your stress. If you have the time to be able to do it, however, there is nothing quite like it.One of the things that I found to be very beneficial was to keep several comedy CDs in the car for the trip home. I often enjoy listening to something that is going to expand my mind whenever I am in the car. For example, I have gotten somewhat comfortable with several languages because I was listening to language CDs whenever I was on my way to work. My time on the way home from work, however, is dedicated to de-stressing so that I don't carry it all home with me. That is why I find that laughing on way home from work is an excellent way to forget about my problems.If you find that a lot of your stress is coming from home, laughter may also be able to help to diffuse some difficult situations. Always make sure that you keep this in mind and try to make light of things whenever it is appropriate. You could also try to add some type of laughter into your entertainment as well. Keep in mind, a little bit of laughter can go a long way when dealing with stress because laughter is the best stress medicine.

Helping Your Friend Or Family Member Deal With Panic Attacks At Night

Panic attacks often strikes when you least expect it to happen. According to studies, a lot of people start to experience episodes of panic attacks starting the age of 15 to 25. A lot of people suffer symptoms of this disorder throughout their lifetimes. However, the good news is that most of those who are suffering from panic attack recover from this disorder and are able to lead a normal life.
If you live with somebody who is suffering from panic attacks at night, you should learn to deal with the situation and help that person come to terms with his or her fears. Always remember that with proper support people who often suffer panic attacks at night can recover from their ailments.
Panic attacks at night often happen when the person is asleep or just about to fall asleep. Since panic attacks at night often occur without warning, when the person is really in no real danger of anything, you should always be prepared to recognize the first signs of panic attacks.
Some of the common symptoms of panic attack at night are shortness of breath, chest pain, choking feeling, fainting, sweating, hot flashes, trembling or shaking, abdominal distress, nausea, numbness, racing heart or palpitations and others. Since these signs and symptoms are often associated with other types of ailments, you should make sure that your friend or family member is not suffering from a more serious ailment.
To do this, you need to observe the closely. Make sure that at least four of the signs and symptoms described above are present before you conclude that your friend or family member is merely suffering from a panic attack. However, if the person has no history of panic attacks, call the ambulance.
When a friend or family member suffers panic attack at night, it can be really frustrating. Remember that your friend or family member is not really in the mortal danger they think they are in. Try to stay calm. If your friend or family member is taking medications for panic attacks, give him or her medication when appropriate. Be considerate and never force your friend or family member to directly confront his or her fears. And make sure your friend or family member is under a doctor's care for panic attacks.
It is best to very considerate towards anyone suffering from this condition. When the person recovers the help rendered will be highly appreciated.

Some Causes of Depression

Relationships and Work Problems: Stress in general can contribute to depression. There are stresses involving work, maintaining a home, caring for children, financial, and sexual problems. As people get older there is the stress of dealing with elderly parents.  With jobs being shipped overseas, no one has a great sense of job security. Depression will tend to hit you the hardest if you are separated or divorced. This makes sense because there is always a sense of loss, of failure, even if you both agree that you will do better apart. You are dealing with change, and change always causes stress. Even positive changes cause stress. Staying married to a person who is toxic for you is never any good and can cause real depression problems. If you are married to someone and feel hurt, unloved, criticized, and not valued, you are bound to have a problem with self esteem. After all, if you are a good person, why should you be treated in such a bad way? Anger at your spouse can have a way of turning around and coming back into you, making you feel guilty, like there is something unlovable about you. If you are an unhappily married woman, you are very likely to suffer from depression. Having Children Women do have a lot of hormonal changes when they become pregnant. Hormonal changes affect the brain messengers so there is a possibility of depression involved. There is a real mix up of brain chemicals right after a baby is born and some women are more likely to have a very upsetting depression. It is called Postpartum Depression or many people call it the 'baby blues'. Frequently if you have had a problem with depression prior to having a baby, you may be more likely to suffer from more depression after your baby is born. It is so scary to have depressive feelings when you are supposed to be totally joyful over a birth. Sometimes if you experience this you feel too guilty bring it up.  You need to understand that this is a hormonal imbalance and it is OK to get some help and possibly some medication to help you through this time.  Don't feel awful. You love your baby but you need a little chemical adjustment. It is also true that you become exhausted taking care of a baby, not getting enough sleep. This is worse for single parents who have to handle all this alone. With people moving all over the country to get jobs, more couples are bringing up children without the support of relatives. Most couples really are not prepared for the big difference a baby will make in their lives. Men can feel very jealous about all the attention given to the new baby and be less supportive with the mother.  There is more stress if both parents have to work and arrange for child care.  The more that is demanded of you when you have the stress of nurturing a new family member, the more pressured, worried, and depressed you can feel.  Sexual desire and romantic moments tend to fly the coop when a baby has colic and demands constant attention. Having children starts a total change in your life. You have the children to take care of for at least 18 years. Plus these days with children returning home after they experience life problems, they can be with you well into your 60's. The financial and economic costs of raising a child have risen unbelievably, let alone the emotional demands. Children are so pressured by what their peers have and make unrealistic demands on parents who can not afford to give them what they desire. Often you feel like you are giving everything you can to a child who then thumbs his nose at you and tells you that you aren't making the grade. This can cause a great deal of depression. Family ties are so special and important but we all know they can be the source of great distress and problems

How To Deal With Anxiety Depression

From a religious stand-point, Jesus once asked his 12 disciples: "Which of you by worrying can add a single strand of hair to your head?" Now, you may be of a religious background or maybe not, but, think about that statement and you'd see why worrying, a main symptom of anxiety depression is quite unnecessary.

 

Reduced to its simplest form, what is worry? It is simply an unhealthy and destructive mental habit that- believe it or not folks-you were not born with but simply acquired out of practice. The good news is, with aggressive actions, as with any habit and acquired attitude; we can be worry free and eliminate it from our lives successfully.

 

In the words of Dr. Smiley Blanton, a noted Psychiatrist: "Anxiety depression is the great modern plague." Other psychologists go on to say ‘worry' a noted symptom of any form of depression, is the most subtle and destructive of all human diseases. When we worry excessively, we disintegrate our inner workings as humans and really put a lot of things out of order. Needless to say avoiding worry as a step of treating depression and anxiety will be the first step for our own benefit.

 

Anxiety Depression: Steps to take to be Worry Free:

 

The following steps should be used to deal with anxiety depression and its main symptom, worry. When used wisely and effectively, you will inevitably be successful at these natural depression help techniques.

 

1. Practice Mind-drainage: Empty your mind of pessimistic and negative thoughts, especially before going to and after waking up from sleep. This involves some degree of imagination friends. (the same imagination-mind you-that you are actually using to aggravate your present situations…didn't realize that eh?). This mind-draining strategy cannot be overemphasized as I will let you know, if you fear something for a long period of time, it may actually come to pass. "For the thing which I feared has come upon me…" (Job 3:25)

 

2. Fill up the mind with powerful thoughts of faith and success to fill up the vacuum now left in the mind. You become a worrier by practicing it, you can be worry-free by practicing the opposite.

 

3. Say positive things about those things you previously spoke negatively of.

 

4. Never participate in a worry conversation. Induce your conversation with faith and worry-free statements.

 

5. Make friends with optimistic people, practice prayer and meditation.

 

6. Exercise and eat right. You'll be making yourself look and feel better and consequently stronger through the process for overcoming depression, anxiety and becoming worry free.

 

No one is saying things will be automatically changed overnight. No, it takes work. However with direct and equally aggressive actions as the destructive worry habits one may be indulging in, anxiety depression can be overcome and you too can be worry free if you believe in your mind you can.

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