Always feeling under the weather? Always not in the mood to be around others and have a good time? If you’re suffering from prolonged sadness for quite some time now, you should face these bouts of depression and get yourself diagnosed by a psychiatrist, they’re doctors who can actually help you out with your problem.

Depression or prolonged sadness is actually quite common in the United States, around 9.5 percent of the American population actually suffer from this illness, however, not all of them get to be treated, thus, depression and its ill-effects continue to be a burden to some individuals. This illness may seem quite simple to treat but in reality, it takes more than a little cheering up to actually cure depression. Constant visits to a cognitive behavior therapist is a must as well as taking all the prescribed medicines that the doctor will ask the patient to take none of these exactly come cheap, but the amount of suffering that a person is going through because of depression is enough reason already for others to start taking notice and face depression head on.

Depression oftentimes can easily get in the way of an individual’s daily activities and his or her’s normal functions, one’s zest for life can quickly and easily dissipate due to depression. And in place of an individual’s sunny disposition is more or less a person who hates his or herself, having no self-confidence, trying to isolate one’s self from the world and basically just not caring about living any more. More so, a person suffering from depression isn’t the only one who’s going to suffer from this destructive illness, his or her loved ones are sure to follow suit. By seeing the individual grow through such rough patches, basically not caring about anything or anyone anymore, it’s highly likely that not only will depression one’s relationship with one’s self but with his or her loved ones too.

Fortunately depression can now be cured, especially when diagnosed early, depressed individuals can actually be treated through therapy and medication, although it may be a bit costly, a person’s good mental health is something that shouldn’t be scrimped on. Cognitive behavioral talk or interpersonal talk are just some of the available psychosocial treatments that cognitive behavior therapists can offer to their patients, both actually prove to be able to produce fruitful and positive results.

Still, people tend to not recognize depression even it’s right before their eyes, being honest with one’s self is key to being able to cure such an illness. Never overlook the various symptoms, depressed individuals oftentimes exhibit uncharacteristic behaviors such as suddenly lacking interest in one’s hobbies (or other stuff that he or she usually enjoys), sleeps too much or actually aren’t able to get some shut-eye, suddenly becoming anti-social, talks a lot about death or being a worthless person. There are actually a lot more other symptoms but in case these already fit in your category or of someone that you know of, go to a reputable psychiatrist at once in order to see if the depression is still at an early stage or not. From here you’ll be able to assess how the treatments will actually go.

Depression shouldn’t be something that people fear of, instead, people should just start taking charge of their lives and actually face this illness and fight it. Life is too beautiful a gift to waste and if one will spend the majority of his or her life just moping around about every single little thing then what kind of life would that be? Depression may not kill one’s body but it’ll certainly kills one’s spirit if you’ll let it. Don’t be a victim.

If you’re currently feeling so out of it, totally out of your normal system and just basically hating and ignoring almost, always everything and anyone that comes along, try to get yourself checked by a psychiatrist because you those little mood swings and erratic Ally McBeal-ish behavior that you’re trying to ignore for some long may actually be symptoms of depression. Act fast because if you do, it’ll certainly be a lot harder for you to be able to have yourself cured from this illness, especially once self-delusion starts to kick in.

Actually start by hauling your depressed ass into the hospital and get yourself diagnosed by a reputable psychiatrist, one that’ll actually help you with your depression concerns, answer all the possible questions that you may have when it comes to depression as well as provide you with the best available to depression treatment that’ll make you give yourself some good-old, yet extremly effective depression help. All it needs is the right attitude.

After actually being honest with yourself when it comes to actually being a patient who is suffering from depression, quit turning youself into a victim and find out from these various types of depression the actual one that you’re suffering from: Manic or Bipolar depression – characterized by sudden and extreme changes in one’s mood wherein one minute he or she is in an elevated state of euphoria while the next minute (day or week) he or she is feeling to be in a personal hell, Postpartum depression – characterized by a prolonged sadness and a feeling of emptiness by a new mother wherein physical stress during child birth, an uncertain sense of responsibility towards the new born baby can be just some of the possible factors why some new mother go through this, Dysthimia – characterized by a slight similarity with depression, although this time, it’s been proven to be a lot less severe, but of course with any case, should be treated immediately, Cyclothemia – characterized by a slight similarity with Manic or Bipolar depression wherein the individual suffering from this mental illness may occasionally suffer from severe changes in one’s moods, Seasonal Affective Disorder – characterized by falling in a rut only during specific seasons (i.e. Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall) studies however, prove that more people actually fall in to a rut more during the Winter and Fall seasons and lastly, Mood swings, wherein a person’s mood may shift from happy to sad to angry in just a short time. But in spite of how scary or how daunting a task is the road towards a sound mental health is, depression help abounds and is just up to you if you’re willing to take in some of that depression help, may it be from your family, friends, support group and mainly starting from yourself, there really is a lot of depression help to go around.

The old adage, slowly but surely greatly applies in trying to treat depression, as the patient continues taking the prescribed medicines for his/her depression treatment, as well as the corresponding therapy sessions with the cognitive behavior therapist, a patient being treated from depression needs all the support and depression help that he or she can get.

While being treated for depression, the patient as well as his or her family and other loved ones are advised to make realistic goals concerning depression wherein, to not assume that their depression can be easily treated in a snap. Depression help begins with trying to understand the patient’s situation and continue on being patient as well as always extending your help because depression help is never easy nor is the depression treatment itself, which is why both patients and loved ones need to help each other out through every step of the way. Never set goals that are high above your reach, give yourself some depression help by not being too hard on yourself, believe that you are good and strong enough to achieve your goals but only one step at a time.

Winter time is depression time for many women. Perhaps it is harder to look at the bright side when days are short, perhaps the holidays and family demands take their toll on us. Of course, depression can also be triggered by lack of thyroid hormone and by use of steroids, high blood pressure drugs, and ERT/HRT.

But most often the cause of depression is the belief (valid or not) that nothing you do makes any difference. Victimization and poverty lock women into depression. More than one-third of all American women have been victims of sexual or physical abuse; and women make up more than two-thirds of all Americans who live below poverty level. Yet our culture frowns on women who express their anger. No wonder depression is a woman’s issue.

“Look here,” Grandmother Growth motions to you as she spreads her story blanket at your feet. “See how depression is deeply woven with anger and grief. When our need for reliable, joyous intimacy is frustrated, and expression of our frustration would endanger us, depression comes and protects us. When there is no way to deal effectively with situations that enrage us, depression comes and helps us quiet our violent impulses.

“Depression is not an easy companion on your journey, but she knows much about life. In her bundle, she carries the anger you have carefully frozen with frigid blasts of fear and kept nourished with your pain. She carries your wholeness. She carries your ability to go beyond the pain, your ability to allow your rage to move you into health. She carries your wholeness. Will you let her teach you?”

Wise Woman remedies don’t seek to eliminate our feelings, or turn “negative” ones into “positive” ones, but to help us incorporate all of our feelings into our wholeness/health/holiness.

Welcome the dark. Cherish the deepness. Give yourself over to a day or two of doing nothing. Then, get up, no matter how bad you feel. Set a goal for the day and meet it. Smile – it releases brain chemicals that make you feel good. Smile no matter what. Do it as an exercise. Hate it while you do it. But SMILE!

Homeopathic remedies include Arum metallicum, for women with frequent thoughts of suicide who feel cut off from love and joy; and Sepia, for women who are disinterested in everything, angry at family and friends, and just want to be left alone.

It’s more than idle chatter that depression comes with gray skies and happiness with sunny ones. For emotional health (and strong bones) get 15 minutes of sunlight on your uncovered eyelids (outside, no glasses, no contacts) daily. If you can’t get out (or if the sun doesn’t cooperate), wake up 1-2 hours earlier than usual. (You can stay in bed, but keep those eyes open.)

Sing the blues; dance ’em too. Women have depended on songs and dances to carry them out of depression for centuries. Dance therapy is more effective than talk therapy for reaching and healing traumatic experiences. Even a single session may have a dramatic effect.

Find your rage and write it down. Get a massage and let the anger move out of the muscles. Volunteer to help change something you are upset about, even a small thing.

St. Joan’s/John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) lives in very sunny locations and blooms at summer solstice. I call it bottled sunshine. A dropperful of the bright red tincture taken 1-3 times daily has helped many women relieve SAD (seasonal affective disorder), move through grief, ease the physical pain of depression, and walk on the sunny side! CAUTION: Hypericum in capsules is not as effective and can cause unwanted side effects.

Oatstraw infusion (not tea, tincture, or capsules) has been an ally for depressed women since earliest times. Gentle Avena nourishes the nerves and helps you remember why life is worth living. To make an infusion: Brew one ounce by weight of dried herb (that’s a cup by volume) in a quart jar filled to the top with boiling water. Steep for at least four hours, then strain and refrigerate your infusion. Drink as many cups a day as you wish. Or make an oatstraw bath by adding two quarts of infusion to your bath water.

Garden sage (Salvia) is an ancient ally for emotionally-distressed women. In some societies, only crones were allowed to drink the brew made from the nubbly leaves (at least partly because it delays menses and dries up breast milk). Make an infusion (see oatstraw); drink by mixing a few spoonfuls of the dense brew into hot water or warm milk; add honey to taste. The undiluted infusion keeps for weeks refrigerated.

Behavioral and interpersonal therapies are as effective as drugs in relieving depression. Not only that, two-thirds of those who simply read about therapy improve significantly.

Thirty minutes of aerobic exercise, especially soon after awakening, has been shown to help women whose depression is resistant to all treatments, including drugs.

Sleep less. If you are a woman who overproduces a normal depression-causing substance which accompanies sleep you will feel depressed and often find it difficult to wake up. Sleeping more will only compound the problem. Instead, stay up all night once a week. If you can’t cope with no sleep, even mild sleep deprivation (such as sleeping five hours or less for two nights in a row) dramatically decreases depressive symptoms in some people.

Low levels of calcium, zinc, and B vitamins are associated with depression. Get more by eating more cheese and yogurt, more garlic and mushrooms, more whole grains and beans.

Lack of vitamin B12 doubles the risk of severe depression for older women. This critical nutrient, found only in animal products, is destroyed by tofu and soy beverage. Drink real milk, eat real cheese, eat meat at least occasionally and watch your mood improve 🙂

1600 mg of SAM-e (A-adenosylmethionine) relieved the symptoms of moderate depression as well as imipramine, but no better than Hypericum (St. J’s wort). CAUTION: Of the brands tested by Consumer Reports, only Natrol, Nature Made, TwinLab, and GNC passed all tests.

Avoid hormone replacement – ERT/HRT – if you’re depressed; it’s strongly associated with an increase in suicide attempts.

Women who used to take lithium say they have gradually switched over to skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora). A dose of infusion is one cup/250 ml or more per day; of fresh plant tincture is 5-8 drops twice a day; of the dried plant tincture is a dropperful/1 ml several times a day. CAUTION: Skullcap can make you sleepy.

For women whose depression resists all other therapies, electro-convulsive treatments (ECT), previously known as shock treatments, have been updated with special care taken to minimize harm. The women I spoke with who were using ECT told me it was incredibly effective, and the side-effects, including severe memory loss, acceptable to them.

From doing nothing, to ECT, the range of remedies available to depressed women is enormous. To help you choose wisely, these effective, simple Wise Woman remedies are in order of safety: the safest remedies first, and the most dangerous ones last.

Susun Weed

PO Box 64

Woodstock, NY 12498

Fax: 1-845-246-8081

What should I do? Should I invite my friends over for a party? We all have to make decisions. Our decisions determine in most instances the results. If you invite your friends over for a party for example, and intend to drink alcohol beverages knowing that tomorrow you have to work. Are you ready to face the consequences?

We can learn to make good decisions by examining the consequences of our choices. If you know that you must work tomorrow, why take a chance on partying the night before when we all know parties can get out of hand. If you can regulate and control the time you spend at the party, then there is no problem. You can make it to work the next day with a fresh mind.

If you go over your limits, you likely will lose REM sleep, which ultimately weakens your awareness. You will find it difficult to stay focused at work.

Decisions also determine our faith in the process of healing the hidden self. We must make the right decisions to assist us with self-healing. The problem is we do not always weigh out the decisions we make. For this reason, we all must take time to think through our decisions before acting on them.

By thinking carefully and attentively through your decisions, you can make sound choices that will push you to heal the hidden self.

You want to make it a practice to think through your decisions. One of the best ways to do this is through meditation. Meditation trains your mind to think carefully. You use reflections while you ruminate through your mind. In addition, you learn to consider all angles of each choice you must make. You also use deliberation tools to contemplate or ponder over each decision you must make.

When you develop the ability to make sound decisions, the healing processes becomes easier.

Because healing of the hidden self is a long, drawn out process that is problematic in various areas, you want to build a sound mind first to work through the procedures of personal growth.

Now that you have learned the benefits of making good decisions, take some time to practice meditation each day. This technique alone will assist you with developing the characteristics you must establish to heal the hidden self.

What characteristics must I develop?

Conceptions are the first tool you will need to analyze. Since our conceptions is the starting point of our growth, start here. Develop your conceptions by analyzing your beliefs and way of thinking.

Learn some strategies to help you reform conceptions that lead you astray. Work through your perceptions once you discover and accept your conceptions. This will help you reform your way of thinking.

Most of our badness is learned from teaching. Still, the way we perceive plays a part in the outcome of our personality. It is up to us to reform this personality by depending on self, rather than others. Only our own being can take us to heal the hidden self.

Visit the Internet. Online you will find a wide arrange of products and strategies that can help you with self-healing. Look for the new age solutions, which include the latest Radionics, which will assist you with relaxation and self-development. Biofeedback is an excellent tool to use and will help you work through self-development as well. Be sure to practice meditation daily, since it will assist you with reforming the mind. Meditation alone has proven to bring great rewards to those who practice the technique often. You may also enjoy the latest Neurofeedback programs.

Stress and anxiety go hand in hand. It is said that one of the major symptoms of stress is anxiety. Aside from that, it is stress that is commonly blamed for a staggering eighty percent of all illnesses either directly or indirectly.

Stress comes from the pressures we feel in life, as we are pushed by work or any other task that puts undue pressure on our minds and body, adrenaline is released, extended stay of the hormone causes depression, a rise in the blood pressure and other negative changes and effects.

One of them is anxiety. With anxiety, fear overcomes all emotions accompanied by worry and apprehension, making a person a recluse and a bagful of jitters. Other symptoms are chest pains, dizziness, and shortness of breath and panic attacks.

When this happens to us, we are endangering our overall health. Stress and anxiety affects many factors in our body not only in our mental state. Cancer and other deadly diseases are related to stress and anxiety because of the changes in the chemical composition in our body due to stress and anxiety.

You don’t have to be a victim of stress and anxiety, its just all about discipline and having a proper schedule. Not taking in anything you cannot handle will be a lot of help. Learn your limitations and stick to it. Do not over exert yourself. Just try to go over the border an inch at a time.

You can lead a productive successful and fulfilling life and career without the need to endanger your health. If not, you are not only killing yourself, you are also sending your family and friends and all the people around you away.

It is not easy to deal with depression and anxiety in the business world. Getting help from a professional should be the first thing you do if you deal with depression. Many companies nowadays have different programs for their employees. Talk to your Human Resources Representative on a confidential basis and ask if your employer has any such programs.

If your place of work doesn’t have any programs then ask your doctor or local mental health clinic. Help is available if you look hard enough.

With the help of a professional, evaluate the source of your depression. Knowing what is causing your depression can go a long way. Once you know why you are feeling depressed, then it is easier to find the ways to overcome it.

A good way to manage your depression is to learn how to deal with your negative thinking. If you get thoughts that make your fearful or anxious, challenge those thoughts with positive statements. Try to minimize the fear behind the thought by thinking of something positive or constructive.

When we worry or get depressed, we tend to worry on exaggerated assumptions. Sometimes our exaggerated ideas can make us worry even more. Remember to get all of the facts of your current circumstances. Getting the facts can make us aware of what is reality and what is not. Before you worry about something, get the necessary information on your situation. Don’t assume anything.

Take things one at a time. Do not look too far ahead. Next week or next month will take care of itself.

Your not alone in dealing with depression and anxiety. If you have such a problem, you can take steps to solve your current problem. They key is to get help from a counselor and to be persistent in finding the ways that will get rid of your anxiety and depression. Remember that there is hope. Eventually you or the person who is struggling will eventually get better.

Who doesn’t go through problems in life? From the worry of bills to be paid, traffic, work, taking care of our families. Goshthe demands of modern-day life seem so overwhelming. It’s no wonder several people are left dealing with depression in a quest to cope with these burdens.

Sometimes, these demands of life may aggravate strong emotions within us such as worry, fear, rage, hopelessness. Coincidentally, these are all symptoms of depression and as a consequence, dealing with depression remains a task that most of us have to undertake on a daily basis.

However, one very overlooked method of depression help and coping with its symptoms is quite simply a fast. It’s as old as the mountains and perhaps nothing comes close to restoring one’s emotional balance when dealing with depression as this powerful tool.

An observance of nature will show us that when animals are frightened or angered, they abstain from eating until after the passage of some time. Moreover, it is true that under stressful circumstances many civilized people refrain from eating and find in truth that they lack the desire for food, but it is also too often that most of us will eat large meals under these circumstances, which will be mostly disease forming foods to start with, that as a consequence, complicates or altogether halts an already retarded ongoing digestion.

This considered, perhaps the last thing you may want to do while dealing with depression-be it its causes or symptoms is to eat excessively, I may go as far as to say to even eat at all.

Worry, fear, anxiety, excitement, hurry, heated arguments at meals: all prevent the secretion of the digestive enzymes of the body and hinder not only digestion, but the whole nutrition process.

Perhaps, this is why according to the Bible, when most people were in grief or needed to be atoned with the Creator, they fasted. When used as a tool for dealing with depression, if combined with a powerful and faith driven prayer, fasting, my friends really unleashes the mental powers within us to solve our problems. It makes us come closer to our potential as true images of the Most High, and we can as a result see and think clearer as a step for a powerful and effective depression control method.

Fasting as a means of dealing with depression also greatly benefits one’s overall health as during its use, the digestive organs are given a rest. Moreover, the mind clears allowing for a disappearance of all moroseness. We re-discover peace of mind and tranquility and life’s difficulties are not as overwhelming.

So when problems seem to weigh in on us, when dealing with depression becomes an almost daily struggle for us, perhaps from all the indications above, the best thing to do will be to undertake a fast. It definitely won’t hurt and can help immensely.