Depression ? Simple Tips to Beat the Blues
If you are suffering from depression, you are not alone.
Depression affects many people at some time in their life, with some of us going through periods of depression that can lift after a very short time, while for others, it can be ingoing for many years.
Whichever category you fall into, here are some simple tips to help you manage your depression.
Depression – What is it?
Depression is best identified as feeling in a low mood. It may not stop you leading a normal life, but things may seem less worthwhile.
Most of us will admit to feeling depressed from time to time and this is perfectly normal.
Depression becomes a problem when it interferes with your day to day activities.
What Causes Depression?
Depression may be caused by an imbalance of chemicals in the brain or can be triggered by significant life events including:-
• Bereavement
• A traumatic experience, such as rape or physical attack
• Childhood events
• Illness
• Frequent use of recreational drugs
How Do I Know if I am Depressed?
Symptoms of depression may include:-
• Preoccupation with negative thoughts
• Difficulty in concentrating
• Feeling in a low mood most of the time
• Feelings of numbness, emptiness or despair
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• Low self-esteem
• Lack of sex drive
• Lack of confidence
• Pessimistic view of the future
This is no a definitive list and you may experience all or some of these symptoms.
You may also notice changes in your sleeping pattern, your eating habits, or there may be a rise in your alcohol or tobacco consumption.
Depression – Helping Yourself
Knowledge is power. The more you learn about depression, the better equipped you will be to deal with it.
Go to the library, do some research on the internet or join a self-help group where you can gather information about depression and the treatments available.
Being aware of the choices available to you will help you to make an informed choice about treatment if you need to seek help from your healthcare provider.
Whereas many of us may experience bouts of mild depression or low mood, clinical depression is a serious medical condition and if you have been experiencing symptoms described above for some time you should seek medical help as soon as possible.
Depression – Don’t Suffer in Silence
While clinical depression is a serious illness, it can be treated and you do not need to feel ashamed, embarrassed or suffer in silence.
Some people allow depression to go untreated for years but clinical depression will not disappear by itself.
Professional help may include a course of antidepressants together with some counseling.
Depression – Help Yourself
Helplessness is a feeling often experienced by people with depression.
Together with professional help try and help yourself.
• Stay focused – depression can feed on itself and you can find yourself trapped in a vicious circle of negative thoughts that it seems impossible to get out of. Focus on positive thought and the positive things in your life. If you can’t think of any, think of a positive goal you would like to achieve.
• Avoid your own company – depression feeds on loneliness. Try and break the hold that depression has on you. Join a club or self-help group where you can talk to people who have successfully overcome depression.
• Do something worthwhile. Keeping yourself busy will give you less time to dwell on pessimistic thoughts. Take up a hobby or why not join a gym. Regular exercise will have a mental and physical impact on your wellbeing.
• Let go of the past. Many of us make the mistake of hanging on to past hurts and this too can cause depression. If there are things in your life that have caused you upset, past grudges, guilt or anger, perhaps it is time to let go.
Depression is not an easy thing to overcome but it can be done, all you have to do is make he decision to make a change.
10 Simple Coping Strategies When a Family Member Has Clinical Depression
1.Remember that it is an illness:
Clinical depression often requires medical supervision as well as professional treatment. Clinical depression is treatable and requires commitment, understanding and patience from all those involved.
2.It is not your fault:
Clinical depression is usually a combination of chemical imbalance and learned behaviors. There may be times when the depressed individual is extremely sensitive, argumentative and/or blaming towards you, the children, the in-laws, the boss and even the world. All the above mentioned are not the cause. What you are responsible for is how you choose to take on the outward symptoms and how they affect you, your home and your relationships.
3.Be well informed:
Educate yourself on what type of depression is present and if there is a dual diagnosis IE: chemical dependency and depression or personality disorders and depression. Know what the symptoms, treatments and follow-ups are. There are suggested guidelines for communication and setting boundaries. Though the illness is not your fault; it benefits you and your family to remain open minded and willing to learn new ways of doing things.
4.Make sure to have a support network:
Depression and dual diagnosis affects the whole family. There are many ranges of emotions from anger and fear to hopefulness and hopelessness. Having others that have experienced it before can help eliminate unhealthy coping mechanisms such as isolation, shame, control and low self-esteem. There are many national and local support groups available on line. For more information check with your favorite search engines or call a local and/or national mental health hotline.
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5.Make time for yourself and your children:
Don’t fall into the trap of not taking care of yourselves. Misery and fear love company. Living with and loving someone who is clinically depressed can be incredibly draining. Do not become a hostage or enabler. Remember your flight instructions: “For those traveling with small children; place the oxygen mask on yourself first and then assist the children.”
6.Be a victor not a victim:
Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional: We are all going to feel pain in life never mind a home with mental illness. Surround yourselves with knowledge, self-care, experienced support and nurturing. There are no such things as victims only volunteers.
7.Recognize that clinical depression is episodic Clinical depression comes in waves. People with clinical depression do get better!
8.Understand that medication takes time to work:
In most cases, improvement takes as long as 6-8 weeks. Even early responders require about 3-4 weeks before they notice mood improvement. Even after a person with clinical depression feels better, she or he needs to stay on medication at least six months. People should never stop taking medication on their own; medical supervision is a must. There can be serious physical and emotional complications from sudden withdrawal such as increased depression and suicidal tendencies.
9.Medication alone is fairly ineffective:
Research shows that medication in combination with cognitive behavioral therapy is more effective than medication alone. Combined with therapy, the person who is clinically depressed may need to make lifestyle changes, including dietary and exercise changes. The family needs to find ways to reduce stressors by simplifying their lives.
10.Get a written relapse prevention plan:
Make a list of early symptoms such as sleep, appetite and mood changes. Early intervention is the key to stopping a downward spiral. Determine what worked in the past to get the person with clinical depression back on track and do the things that worked before.
Becoming A Nurse – Some Simple Steps
in order to become a nurse you must get some type of nursing certification. After becoming a nurse you can opt for any of the health care facilities. Health care sector provides a number of careers. For every career the nature of work changes. But no matter what career you adopt within the health care field you will in return get a handsome amount of pay. If you are empathetic and com-passionate then to become a nurse would be a right career for you. This is one career that has bright future. Many surveys have shown that his is the only field that is recession free. According to bureau of labor statistics 2.5 million of jobs in United States are occupied by this field, out of which 55% are in hospitals.
After becoming a nurse you need to be empathetic and sympathetic with the patients visiting your health care facility. You need to take care of them in a number of ways. You must know how to bath, feed and move them from one place to another. You must also know how to operate a number of medical equipments. One more tasks associated to registered nurses are is that have to be in touch with the new technology in the market. Registered nurses are those nurses who after completion of their certification are registered in the state’s registry.
A non registered nurse will not be entertained and if entertained would not be able to get the same amount of money as compared to registered ones. Registered nurses also help patients to get out of mental and physical stress. Apart from helping the patients they also sympathize with family members who take hard decisions for their loved ones in hospitals. There are a number of specializations for registered nurses. Some of these specializations are follows:
Nurse Midwife: in this type of specialization nurses expect to lend services as parental care. They also provide family planning guidelines and guidance. They also have to learn how to perform gynecological tests.
Nurse anesthetist: they have to administer the anesthesia before a patient is going into any kind of surgery.
Forensic nurse: they assist in the investigation and treatment of crime victims.
Nurse educator: in this type of specialization a nurse educator makes and defines curriculum for nursing students.
Navy nurse: this type of specialization is quiet rewarding one as you will become a nurse in hospital corpsmen.
Infection control nurse: they have to control different types of epidemic outbreaks and infections.
Nurse practitioner: they provide nursing aids and health care to patients. They inform patients about different health care issues.
Clinical nurse specialist: a clinical nurse specialist is one who delivers consultation to patients that are facing mental illness.
There are some of the specializations and unlike doctors you can easily change your specialization at any time. This is one of the best aspects of becoming a nurse. On the other hand you can do one or more specialization in order to increase your demand in the market.