Mental Well-Being

14 Lesser Known Signs of Depression

Depression is a silent killer and is often not a topic that is discussed comfortably. Depressed people assume that they will be tagged as mentally ill and hence try to do things discreetly. Reality is that a depressed person cannot function like a completely healthy person. This disease is chronic and requires constant effort to come out of it. Proper care has to be taken by self and people around since the chances of relapse are high if the person discontinues certain habits that helped him/her in recovering from it. We have already spoken about depression and steps to overcome it in our previous blogs. This blog however is a list of rarely talked about feelings that might actually be warning signs of depression.

1. You will often feel your head warming up from the inside and a huge lump of a blocked emotion choking your throat always.

2. There is always a loud cry that you can hear within yourself everytime you get annoyed and feel irritated.

3. You will reach a point where you feel like crying your heart out but you can hardly get tears out of your eyes.

4. Your days are either bad or better – never good. You also never seem to accept the compliments that people give you.

5. Sometime loneliness can cause numbness in your brain and make you feel like you’re drunk.

6. You feel like violating rules and regulations in every place you go to.

7. Skipping showers and refusal to dress up can become a common habit.

8. You show lack of involvement in your family and kids.

9. There is always a feeling of exhaustion, tiredness and lack of energy.

10. You sometimes forget to eat or end up skipping meals on purpose.

11. Unexplained headaches, back pain and stomach pain become a recurrent problem.

12. You may overdo things you like (E.g. Driving, clubbing, playing instruments or listening to music continuously for hours, etc.)

13. You may struggle to frame emails and long sentences and tend to forget some of the words in your vocabulary.

14. Disturbed sleep patterns make it very hard for you to start your day fresh.

References:

http://www.lifehack.org/articl es/lifestyle/8-things-people- with-hidden-depression.html

http://www.helpguide.org/artic les/depression/depression- signs-and-symptoms.htm

Say Goodbye to Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder also called manic depression affects 1 in every 100 adults in the world. Men and women are affected equally and it requires a long term treatment. The treatment for bipolar disorder is different for different people depending on the type of disorder they have. Keeping track of your daily mood graph and wellness plan is very important to get better. There are 3 types of bipolar disorders based on its severity- Mania, Hypomania & Cyclothymia, where the latter is a milder form of bipolar disorder and hence is the best and easy stage to be monitored and treated.

Symptoms

· Extreme Sadness and unexplained crying spells

· Lack of interest in food

· Recurring anxieties

· Running empty & always low in energy

· Inability to take decisions

· Unexplained pains & aches in the body

· Feeling suicidal

Treatment
3 types of therapy have shown results on people with bipolar disorder.
1. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy where you learn how your body and mind respond to different situations and try to change negative thinking patterns and behaviours into more positive ways of responding.

2. Interpersonal & Social Rhythm Cycle where the main focus is to regularize your circadian rhythms by setting a particular time for sleeping, eating, exercising and socializing.

3. Family Focused Therapy where the family members supporting the patient are exposed to set protocols that will help them talk and behave in a way that makes the patient feel secure and loved.

There are also other complementary therapies like meditation, acupuncture, light and dark therapy, etc. that help improve the mental stability of such patients.
Other lifestyle changes that have also proven to help:

· Avoid travelling frequently on other time zones

· Take medications regularly & never miss out on your appointments with the physician

· Ensure you get the same number of hours of sleep everyday

· Limit caffeine, nicotine and alcohol intake

· Eat a healthy & balanced diet with no processed food

References:
http://www.helpguide.org/artic les/bipolar-disorder/bipolar- disorder-treatment.htm

http://www.health.com/health/g allery/0,,20306885,00.html

Is Worrying your Super Power?

The festive season may be associated with fun and relaxing moments for many of us, but there are also a few in the crowd who start getting anxious thinking about the things they need to do to prepare for the season – be it at work or at home. Sometimes it gets so overwhelming that it brings in more stress than usual. The best way to enjoy a worry-free life is to calm down and not push yourself to the limit of being overwhelmed or frustrated.
Before stress can hit you, start practicing these quick and easy ways to keep your cool, no matter what!
1. Massage
What’s more soothing than a relaxing shoulder massage? Get somebody to help you with this because massages are a proven way to instantly calm your stressed mind. If there’s no one around, you can always opt for a hand massage which you can do yourself by gently pressing your palms.

2. Mindful Sighing
Sighing can be a natural reaction to a particular situation but research has proven that when you mindfully do it, i.e. when you breathe in to a count of five through your mouth and then let it out for 15-20 times, it instantly boosts your energy levels up.

3. Monkey Stretches

These stretches are powerful relievers of jitters and panics. When you do these stretches you tend to work your arms by lifting them up and bending down to touch your feet. When you keep alternating your hands and legs, these stimulate the neuro-centres of the brain responsible for triggering the happy hormones.

4. Coax your pet

You can be a dog lover or a cat lover. At the end of the day, playing with your pets has been proven to increase your body’s endorphin level thereby relieving you of unwanted tension and stress.

5. Hug yourself

It is not without a reason that people hug when they are happy and also do it when they are in need of some consolation. Similarly, self-hugs induce happiness too. A ten second self-hug a day can stimulate your biochemical and psychological systems in your body and reduce any kind of fatigue.

6. Shake & Shake

Animals like antelopes try to come out of their panic mode when they see predators by shaking their body. It has been proven that humans can indulge in this technique too for 15 minutes a day, where they just have to keep moving and shaking their body parts. This may not be an elegant sight to watch but it definitely has some psychological benefits.

References:
http://www.lifehack.org/articl es/productivity/7-quick-ways- calm-down-when-you-are-overwhe lmed.html

http://www.everydayhealth.com/ columns/therese-borchard-sanit y-break/10-quick-ways-to-calm- down/

Travel Meets Mental Well-being

One could travel for many reasons. It could be to meet new people, see new things or even experience a new culture, etc. The perks of travelling are many and it significantly impacts your mental health in a positive way. Although business or work related travel could be stressful, sometimes the change in the environment by itself may be intellectually stimulating. It is always good to embrace opportunities that let you see things in a new perspective and travelling does exactly just that. It has a lot of mental health benefits like stress reduction and improved cognitive function. Also, while travelling you get to meet a lot of people which improves your social interaction levels and directly impacts your psychological fitness. Research shows that people who travel a lot tend to be more creative and better decision makers – thanks to all the fruitful exposure it gives.

Here we have listed the surprising benefits of travelling on your mental wellness:

· Makes your mind flexible: Staying in the same place and looking at the same things around you might result in constricting your thoughts. Travelling essentially helps loosen the rigid cognitive habits that have been a part of you and helps you open up your mind to try new things

· Gives space for creative thinking: When you travel to new places, you see things that are indigenous to that place. As a result, you tend to imbibe those practices which will stir your imagination and give rise to creative ideas and concepts

· Helps in giving new perspective: As your mind is always active right from the time you start your travel to making your decisions based on the places you visit, it can give rise to new way of looking at things

· Social Synergy: Since you get to meet and talk to a lot of new people, you will be able to see that you tend to empathize more on the people you meet day-to-day. This in turn has a significant impact on the kind of decisions you take in life especially at the workplace

· Increased exposure: Travel puts you through different environments having different stimuli and this lets you open up and absorb things in a wider spectrum. Suddenly you feel like you’ve had experiences that can sometimes even change your personality to a certain extent

References:
https://sequoiahamilton.wordpr ess.com/2010/09/05/benefits-of -travel/

http://www.healthfitnessrevolu tion.com/why-traveling-is-good -for-you/

7 Simple Ways to Deal with Deadline Panic

Everybody around you is running and the race seems to heat up day after day. It’s a competitive world today which involves nerve-racking deadlines. People are forced to deal with pressure – be it at work or on the personal front, and very often tend to forget to care about their health. Most often it’s a trying day at work which leads to chronic impatience inevitably setting in.

Research has proved that people who face constant deadlines tend to panic and are therefore significantly more prone to heart diseases. There are a lot of ways that have been proven to be effective while dealing with work related panic:

1. Do your to-dos everyday: Start your day at work by checking the previous day’s mails and jotting down the tasks that you’re supposed to complete for the day. Learn to prioritize tasks and keep them on top of the list. Keep tasks that demand time for approval spread across the day. Always ensure you tick everything off your list before you leave for the day. The ones that get missed have to be carried over to the next day’s to-do.

2. Set your time blocks right: Things won’t always go as per your to-do list. Always keep a buffer especially while committing to meetings.

3. Have a strong relationship with your client: At the end of the day it’s your client who is going to bring revenue to you and your company. Most of the time, a disagreement with your client might ruin your time with them. It’s always important to create a strong relationship to pre-empt last minute pressures.

4. Sticky-notes to the rescue: Pick out your favourite quotes from the internet and write it down on a sticky note. Post them on your workplace station and make it as colourful and bright as possible. Research has proved that the workplace set-up has a major influence on the employees’ moods.

5. Keep everyone in the loop: Creating regular checkpoints for your project helps clients know when to expect a status update and also be aware of the progress of the task.

6. Avoid e-distractions: We agree that it is difficult to stay completely away from social distractions but ensure that it doesn’t pull you in so much that you start neglecting your to-do list.

7. Set SMART deadlines: Last but not the least, set goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Reliable & Time-bound. Understand the dynamics of your goals before setting time limits to it. If need be, sit with your client/boss to discuss the time frame that is ideal.

References:

https://www.sitepoint.com/step s-to-meeting-deadlines/

https://www.goal-setting-guide .com/9-ways-handle-work-deadli nes/

Do it Right with Troubled Teenagers

Parenting can be quite tricky in every phase of life and it gets the hardest when your kid hits adolescence. It can be a real struggle for some parents to the extent that it starts affecting the mental health of both the child and the parent. You may have tried yelling, pleading, threatening, striking and sometimes even bribing your kids to ensure that things get sorted but most of the time it just adds fuel to the fire. Kids tend to drift away from parents during this period and become too sensitive, making them feel and believe that they are always right which eventually builds up to having an unhealthy relationship with their parents. It can be definitely hard for the parents to deal with such rebellious kids who often tend to get influenced mostly by their social circle.

Firstly you need to understand the signs exhibited by a disturbed kid. These signs include:

· Staying aloof from the rest of the world

· Increased dependence on video games/ TV and refusing to talk

· Threatening/ bullying other kids

· Carrying weapons of any kind or even trying to play with them

· Being violent to pets

· Noticeable increase/decrease in food consumption

· Spending money in ways that are not being accounted for

· Reduced sleep

Such signs mostly indicate that the kid is in a distressed situation. Here are a few effective things you could try that could help them feel better and secure:

· Create a regular schedule for them and make sure they follow it

· Make it mandatory to talk to parents during dinner or after school

· Throw open-ended questions to them instead of close-ended ones i.e. it is better to ask “What happened at school?” rather than “Was school okay today?”

· Reduce their interaction time with technology and restrict the usage during bed time

· Be a part of your kid’s school activities and make them feel positive about the extra curriculars that they do at school

· Engage them in outdoor activities by enrolling them in after school sessions which involves being trained in their favourite activity

· Always give them the space to talk and never stop them from expressing their views

· Remember to keep check on your kid’s social circle and the kind of friends he/she confides in

Children running on meadow at sunset

· Be affirmative with your rules but not rude; never breakdown in front of your kids as this will make them feel empowered

· In mild situations, embrace humour and also empathize by not over-reacting

Keep these points in mind and love your kids for who they are..Happy Parenting!

References:

https://www.psychologytoday.co m/blog/communication-success/ 201507/7-keys-handling- difficult-teenagers

https://www.empoweringparents. com/article/your-defiant-child s-behavior-5-things-you-can- and-cant-control-as-a-parent/

7 Tricks to Cool Your Nerves Down

The human psychology is wired to express different feelings in different ways. Emotions help the body in dealing with the hormonal imbalance that arises out of happiness, sadness, anxiety, etc. It is always good to vent out your emotions as and when they occur. Anger is also one such emotion which is neither good nor bad as long as it gets you back to your balanced state of mind. Different people adopt different techniques to manage or control their anger. Some people prefer to remain silent when their patience is tested while some people shout back. And some even cry. Each body is unique and has its own way of dealing with such emotions. It is quite a natural process to feel angry and express it. However there are appropriate ways to do so and that’s what we call anger management. Always remember..never let anger take over you!

When you feel like you can’t hold on to your anger anymore, here are few tricks that might help you deal with it.

1. Wit & sarcasm: Next time you get tired of waiting for someone at the restaurant, simply smile and say,”Hey! Just give me a moment. Let me finish reading this menu for the 40th time.” Now this is what we call witty & sarcy.

2. Change your environment: Give it some time and think about everything that periodically annoys you. If you think your colleague gives you the negative aura every morning with all the whining, shift your desk. If the crowded elevator upsets you every morning, take the stairs. If the traffic annoys you, change your time of travel or try a different route.

3. Give Avatars: What can be funnier than imagining the person irritating you in funny avatars? Draw that monkey tail, or a pencil moustache, give them a squeaky voice or even imagine them in funny undies. That ought to take your mind off whatever’s bothering you!

4. Breathe in & out: Physical relaxation techniques like taking deep breathes, taking a stroll or even muttering positive statements that induce confidence.

5. Imagery technique: Is there a picture of your family that you like? Or a place that you once travelled and brought a pleasant emotional rush? Or even a food that you love? Close your eyes and think about it for a minute. Go to your “Happy Place” in your mind. Trust us, it helps!

6. Carry a mirror: Pocket mirrors are not only useful for those regular touch-ups but are also an effective tool for anger management. Staring into your eyes by looking into the mirror, when you are actually angered by something or someone makes your mind subconsciously think that your peace of mind has to be prioritized over everything else.

7. Smiley ball stress busters: Those little spongy, yellow smiley balls are not only cute to look at but are also great anger busters. Next time you feel like thrashing someone, you know what to do.

References:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/ healthy-lifestyle/adult- health/in-depth/anger- management/art-20045434
http://www.webmd.com/mental- health/anger-management

Signs of Depression That Shouldn’t Go Unnoticed

Not everybody who is sad and moody suffers from depression. Depression is a very commonly used term these days and most of them tend to use it every time they feel sad. Sure, everybody does feel sad, lonely, lost and irritated sometimes and these are normal reactions to some loss or the struggles that life throws at you. But it is to be taken seriously only when these symptoms become overwhelming, going beyond one’s control and persisting for a long period of time thereby impacting your life in a negative way. Most of the time, the initial stages of depression have symptoms that are very silent and may not catch the attention of the people around you. In most cases, the patient usually goes to a psychiatrist only after their friends or family around ask them to do so. It is always better to consult a psychiatrist when one feels their thoughts and emotions are not aligned in a way that it usually would.

Here are a few symptoms that a person suffering from depression will deal with on an everyday basis:

· You not only suffer from mental agony but you also feel intense pain in your body especially the joints, lower back and neck

· You tend to binge eat or just don’t eat at all resulting in rapid weight gain or loss

· Your memory refuses to co-operate and you might find it difficult to remember or recollect things

· You feel scared and restless but are not sure of why this is happening

· A feeling of emptiness is always there within you and you start questioning a lot of things unable to seek the answers and in turn feel helpless

· You start feeling uncomfortable when it comes to social gatherings; you prefer to stay away from the crowd all the time

· You start losing interest in the things you once liked including your hobbies

· Your consumption of alcohol and smoking increases and you tend to lose yourself in it

· Too much online activity since you are more comfortable with a virtual world

· You slowly lose interest in grooming yourself and end up not combing your hair or even give up completely on oral hygiene

· You constantly think about ending your life and feel worthless

These signs may exist in most people but what distinguishes them from depression is the frequency and duration in which these signs occur or exist. If you find these symptoms persisting for a long time in yourself or anyone around, get the support of a qualified psychologist without second thoughts.

References:

http://www.prevention.com/ mind-body/surprising- depression-symptoms

http://www.webmd.com/ depression/guide/detecting- depression

5 Apps to Monitor Your Mental Health

Technology has helped the world progress at a faster pace but it also has its limitations. We have always talked about making efforts to stay away from technology but isn’t it a better option to harness the benefits the way we want? Technology is definitely a beautiful tool and it has eased our lives so much that one feels quite handicapped without it. A recent development in the field of technology is a sudden focus on the need to develop health apps that focus on fitness and mental well-being. Research has proved that many people with mental illnesses don’t get the help that they require. Around 35-50% of the people suffering from serious mental illness in developed countries did not receive adequate help in the previous year. Although many factors contribute to this serious treatment gap, a shortage of trained mental health professionals, particularly in low income countries pose a great threat. Almost everyone owns a smartphone and this is the reason why mobile phone applications are getting attention now.
Of about 15,000 health related mobile based applications, one-third of them deal with mental health issues. Here are 5 popular ones:

1. Talkspace: This app lets you connect with trained and licensed professionals/therapists where you can share your emotions and feelings anonymously. It is not a free app, but they provide a range of services using audio, video and text as well as language options from which you can choose services that suit your needs.

2. What’s my M3: A lot of people suffer from depression these days and the sad part is that most of them fail to realize the symptoms. A few of them fail to accept it and feel shy to consult a psychiatrist. This app has been created by a group of therapists and bipolar disorder experts to help the user share his feelings and assess the illness accordingly. It gives suggestions and recommendations to help you deal with one’s issues.

3. Mood-o-scope: Most of the doctors recommend this app for patients who come for the first time with mental illnesses. This app helps keep track of the patients’ emotions by monitoring and recording their moods through a series of questions throughout the day.

4. MotionX 24/7: Sleep is the first thing that gets affected when you suffer from anxiety and depression. In most cases, early stages of depression are treated with pills and techniques that induce sleep. This app lets you keep track of your sleep habits and patterns and gives you personalized feedback every day to help improve your sleep pattern.

5. Operation Reach Out: A lifesaving app that helps people with suicidal thoughts to reach out for help. The app gets updated with a lot of expert talks, motivational quotes, etc. to help people come out of their suicidal thoughts and lead a happy life.

References:
http://evus.com/blog/10-mobile -apps-mental-health/
http://psychcentral.com/blog/a rchives/2013/01/16/top-10-ment al-health-apps/

5 Interesting Ways to Deal with Mood-swings

Good mood- bad mood – good mood – bad mood… Sounds familiar? What a common term ‘mood swings’ has become these days! Don’t we readily blame it for anything and everything? It is quite sad that most people fail to take steps to diminish its effects and just end up whining about it. Anything to do with your mind can be controlled by you if you diligently work towards it. Millions of people across the globe take pills to temper their mood swings, which has detrimental effect to your vital organs. Calming your mood and keeping it relaxed is inevitable since it influences your decision making significantly. Mastering the art of controlling your mood takes practice. You will have to watch your thoughts and take necessary steps or you might end up getting agitated for even the smallest of issues. Research shows that if our bodies move in a particular way, our minds also automatically align the very same way. Hence it is important to take care of your body language to work your way out from the spell.

Here are 5 interesting ways that will help you even-out your moods:

1. Think before you speak: Do you easily get hurt or offended? Then you might want to focus on thinking before you actually say things out. Always take a moment to think from the recipient’s point of view and see how well it can be drafted so as to get your point communicated in a diplomatic and healthy way. This by itself will solve most of the problems since you don’t have to worry about the consequences of the conversation you had with someone and worry about it.

2. It’s okay to indulge: Food never ceases to make people happy. If you feel sad or terrible, it’s ok to grab that whole jar of ice cream and indulge in it. Also, binge eating once in a while has been proved to have quicker effects on people with mood swings. Always remember that this should not always be your first choice since it can directly affect your health in the long run.

3. Preserve a diary: It’s always good to vent your feelings out at some point. Most of the time we are not comfortable in sharing things that disturb us, with other people. In such cases, all you need to do is grab a pen and start writing what you feel. It’s ok if your diary almost takes the role of your best friend. After all, you know for sure that you’re not being judged!

4. Breathe in & breathe out: Every time your mind feels irritated, take a moment to close your eyes and take in deep breaths. This increases the supply of oxygen to the brain which in turn releases feel-good hormones called endorphins and you will instantly be able to see the results.

5. It’s ok to fake a smile: Research has proved that simply putting a smile on your face, even when you don’t feel like doing it, tricks the body into thinking that you’re experiencing something nice and good and diminishes the effects of the stress hormones. Now this gives you a reason to stand in front of the mirror and put up a broad smile or even spend some time in taking selfies!

Reference:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/brettnelson/2012/11/29/ten-ways-to-ease-painful-mood-swings-without-taking-pills/#751faa0a101d
https://womeninbalance.org/symptoms-solutions/irritability-mood-swings/

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