Are You Feeling SAD? Winter Blues Settled in for a Visit?

By Kathryn L Hughes
Have the winter blues descended? Feeling fat and lazy with no interest in work, activities or friends? You may be suffering from seasonal affective disorder or SAD. This is a form of depression that occurs in relation to the seasons and is most common in the winter. Symptoms include decreased energy, lack of interest in work, activities or friends, increased appetite, craving carbohydrates, weight gain, increased sleep and afternoon drowsiness, a withdrawal from social activities and lethargy.

The cause isn't completely understood but it is much more prevalent in the northern United States in winter than in Florida or the other southern states. It is thought that a lack of sunlight in northern regions contributes to the disorder. Near the Canadian border the sun doesn't rise until 8 am and sets shortly after 4 pm in December and January. For most people, that means they rarely see the sun, especially in areas with low cloud ceilings much of the time.

What are the treatments? If symptoms are severe, as with any form of depression, see your doctor. He can help with medication and other treatments. If you have some of the symptoms, or all but not severely, there are several things that may help you to feel better. First of all, watch what you eat. If you are craving carbohydrates, you will soon gain weight, which can worsen the depression. This can begin a downward spiral that is difficult to break. Avoid those extra carbs and reach for healthy foods, instead. Drink plenty of water. It is easy to get dehydrated in the winter and this can cause you to feel sluggish. Exercise, exercise, exercise. And did I mention that you should exercise? Three or four times a week, get your heart rate up and sweat a little for at least 20 minutes. This helps release those feel-good chemicals that lift your mood and it also helps to regulate your appetite and sleep cycle. Getting started may be difficult but will be worth the effort.

Light therapy is another treatment that has been beneficial for many people. There are many different types of lights available that will help meet the need. Depending on the severity of symptoms a regular sun lamp with a bright white bulb may be adequate. There are many different types of light that are made just for treatment of SAD. The idea is to spend time in front of the light so it is shining in your eyes. If you regularly spend time at a desk or at a computer, you can position the light to benefit you while you work.www.facebook.com

Begin fighting the effects of SAD before your symptoms get severe and it will be much easier to dispel the winter blues and feel better again. But, even if you are feeling really blue, don't wait for the sun to come out. Go see your doctor and get some help. You don't want to give up two or three months to feeling SAD. Are You Feeling SAD? Winter Blues Settled in for a Visit?

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Feeling Sad? You Just May Be Experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD

By Jay O Cruise
Seasonal Affective Disorder or S.A.D. or affects around 10% of all people. It can happen at any time but usually begins when the season changes from long sunny days into the longer and darker nights of the winter months. It is a form of depression that can get more severe if the person does not take some positive steps climb out of their funk. If you or someone you know is currently experiencing serious mood changes due to seasonal changes, they may very well be suffering from SAD.

Can I know for sure that I have SAD and am just not sad? There are some common signs and symptoms that you can look out for to see if you or someone you know is being affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder or even Depression. Look at the list below and check if any of these signs are showing up in your life.

Do You Have Any of The Following Symptoms?

* Difficulty Getting Out of Bed In the Morning
* Insomnia or Still Tired after a Full Nights Sleep
* Overeating
* Cravings for Carbs and Sweets
* Lack of Drive or Purpose
* Limited or No Energy
* Difficulty Relating with Others
* Withdrawal from Friends, Family and Social Gatherings
* Suicidal Thoughts, even if just fleeting

If you have Three or more of these signs showing up when the seasons change then you just may be affected by SAD. It is generally not too severe unless you do not readjust within a week or two back to your normal personality and routine. Remember, It's not the end of the world, just the end of a season. There is plenty that you can do to help yourself or someone you know who is being affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder

Natural Remedies for SAD

St. John's Wort, SAM-e and Omega 3 Fatty AcidsNatural Sunlight Exposure (at least 20 min per day), Full Spectrum Lighting In Your Home or Office, Melatonin (regulates your normal body clock), Exercise for at least 20 Minutes, 3 times a week, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) or Counseling,

Being a holistic wellness practitioner, I do not recommend prescription medications except in extreme cases (as recommended by your doctor) or in case of being suicidal. Natural Remedies are successful long-term and don't have the dangerous side-effects of Paxil, Prozac, Ritalin and other similar type medications. Consider changing the light bulbs in your home or office to full-spectrum light bulbs. Get natural sunlight exposure - at least 20 minutes per day. Exercise in any way that you can that is comfortable for you for at least 20 minutes. Eat more vibrantly colored foods (yellows, oranges and greens) and consider taking some of the recommended supplements above.www.facebook.com

Holistic Depression Help is one that empowers the person to achieve their highest potential without any crutches that will eventually fail them, again. Feeling Sad? You Just May Be Experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder or SAD

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Consequences of Depression

By Vikram R Deo
Depression did not exist in the past. The mental condition is very well the child of the industrial revolution. Depression as a mental disease was discovered quite recently if you compared the number of centuries, man has lived on the face of this earth. Depression is the result of stress and fatigue. Depression may occur due to many reasons. The most common reasons, due to which depression takes place are 'a broken relationship' or 'a broken marriage'. This is true among both sexes and is not restricted to women as is popularly believed. Depression can be controlled; it is better to control or to avoid depression than curing it.

People who have suffered from depression tell us that they were overburdened by physical lethargy when they were depressed. The people who suffer from depression may experience problems like sensing of melancholy, weight loss, erectile dysfunction and reoccurring feelings. One of the most ironic ways of treating depression is 'exercising'. I understand that exercising may be the last thing in the mind of the depressed person, but exercising does help. You will be able to get the physiological and psychological benefits from an exercise regime.

Depression can have serious implications on a man's life. Your normal way of living will be disturbed, your thinking will be affected, there will be a considerable change in your language in your deeds etc. In modern world, you can take in a few anti-depressants pills to help you release the stress within yourself. However the anti-depressants do not come without a negative side to it (side effects). Lowered libido, erectile dysfunction and difficulty in reaching the point of organism can be experienced.

Do you know that depression will actually affect your very health in a negative way? Depression will actually make you vulnerable to diseases. Depression can go a long way in messing up a relationship. A prolonged depression will leave you, all alone in the world. Depression is often accompanied by anger. A depressed person tends to get angry very quickly and blames people and himself/herself all the time. It is important to live the way you are, rather than being someone, who someone else wants you to be. A depressed person sees no point in living a normal life. A person who is depressed always criticizes life and what it has done to him. He never thinks of what life has actually given him. What a depressed person really wants is to be loved and to love.
It is necessary that the person needs to be around positive people to get him out of depression quickly. Friends, rather than family are the better choice for this. Pets can also prove to be ideal for reducing depression. The innocence of pets influences people in a positive way.www.facebook.com

A depressed person will never be able to be efficient in job/business. On the other hand, a positive but realist person will always be an efficient employee. It is necessary that depression is treated. Depression cannot be treated overnight. However depression, if treated can free a person from the bondage of negative thoughts. Consequences of Depression

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Holidays Bring Mixed Emotions - A Practical Way to Cope

By Terri Rathbun
It is not unusual to feel as if you are "Bipolar" during the holiday season. Moods can swing from elated to depressed; angry to angrier, happy to angry, depressed to overwhelmed and so on. It's often difficult to pinpoint the exact reasons why we might be feeling this way during this time of year.

It could be related to the weather, life transitions, empty nest, grief and loss, loneliness and sometimes, just because. Instead of trying to "will" the negative feelings away, pretend like they don't exist, criticize yourself for feeling a certain way, or ruminate over why you are feeling this way, try and accept the feelings and recognize that these feelings often pass with time. It is OK to feel uncomfortable and it doesn't mean you need to be "fixed." Yes, there are reasons for feeling like we do, but sometimes giving ourselves permission to just feel and be in the moment without resisting what our body is telling us can bring a degree of relief.

I am not talking about an ongoing clinical depression where you are feeling suicidal, hopeless, or are having severe mood swings related to an actual Bipolar Disorder or another mental illness that is significantly impacting your day to day functioning; sleep and eating patterns. These usually require professional help. However, I am speaking to a seasonal; transient set of emotions that generally pass after a short period of time.www.facebook.com

We are emotional, biological, and physiological beings and sometimes our body sends us signals (sometimes mixed signals) to simply slow down and be in the present; even if that means allowing oneself to experience uncomfortable feelings; without internalizing them or engaging in self criticism or persecutory behaviors. Take Good Care. Holidays Bring Mixed Emotions - A Practical Way to Cope

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How to Cope With Depression - 3 Guaranteed Tricks to Help You Cope With Depression

By Anthony Bibbs
So you or a loved one has depression? This isn't the end of the world, in fact, roughly 80% of all Americans will experience depression some point in their lives; the key is to learn how to cope with depression or how to cure it; read on to learn three powerful ways on how.

But first, what causes depression?

Depression can be caused by several things such as:

* stressful events (i.e. job loss or divorce)
* chemical imbalance
* heredity (if someone in your family has it, you're twice as likely to get it)
* abuse/long-term neglect as a child
* alcohol or drug abuse
* becoming "burned out" (being over-worked or over-demanded)

The good news is that depression, by no means has to be permanent.

Here are a few ways to cope with it:

1. Get support from friends and family
2. Getting help from friends and family you love is the first trick to getting over depression and keeping it away. By yourself, it can be hard to keep view of the important things in your life: things that truly used to make you happy and that will again soon. And believe me, reaching out to people when you're down is very difficult when not feeling like yourself, but I guarantee that when you do eventually reach out, half your battle with depression is over and you'll emerge as the winner. Get some exercise
3. Again, when feeling depressed exercising is probably one of the last things you'd want to do, but here's the thing: it should be one of the first you'd want to do. Whether you do something as simple as taking a light jog or run for 30 minutes or taking your dog for a walk, exercise has been proven to be just as effective as antidepressants by releasing uplifting endorphins in to your bloodstream. There's nothing better than being healthy and feeling happy at the same time! Put yourself firstwww.facebook.com

What this means is taking care of yourself. In other words, nurture yourself above others. Take the time out to do things you used to do(again, family can often help you find this), set limits on things that possibly stress you out (such as work) and schedule fun things to do for yourself (like take a vacation or visit a day spa). I know it's obvious that you can't force yourself to enjoy something, but if you can find it in yourself to like things that you used to, you'll be that much closer to getting over your dark spell.How to Cope With Depression - 3 Guaranteed Tricks to Help You Cope With Depression

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Healthy, Happy, Smart and Lean? Learn the Benefits of Vitamin D3

By Paul A. D'Arcy
Are you feeling kind of down lately?

Do cloudy skies and cooler temperatures make you feel a little blue?

Are you sick of being sick and do you just want to feel better?

It's quite normal to feel depressed sometimes and it's actually a relatively simple condition to rectify.

Would a warm day with plenty of sunshine and a clear blue sky make you feel a whole lot better?

Of course it would -but do you know why?

It's a little known fact that Vitamin D3 is an incredibly important nutrient with a great many healthful benefits such as improved mood, stronger bones, healthier teeth, balanced blood sugar, regulated blood pressure and a strong, healthy immune system.

Vitamin D3 also has wonderful benefits for the brain and can even help prevent Alzheimer's Disease, memory loss and dementia as we age.

And the sunshine? The reason that we all feel invigorated on a nice sun shiny day is because Vitamin D3 is produced through our skin from exposure to sunlight.

That's why we feel so great when we're out in the sun -because sunshine is a great source of the valuable nutrient: Vitamin D3

And if that's not enough, as an added bonus, new research is suggesting that Vitamin D can even help you lose abdominal fat while you diet.

How great is that?!

So, we know that sunshine is a great source of Vitamin D3 and that this wonder vitamin not only makes you happy but is a necessary nutrient for good health, and it helps you lose abdominal fat too

So, where else can we get more Vitamin D?

Fish is another great source... you could try eating more fish if you like.

Mackerel, Catfish, Tuna and Eel yield the highest concentrations of Vitamin D.

Cod Liver Oil is a darn good source of Vitamin D as well.

See? Grandma knew what she was talking about after all!

But chances are, even if you are able to spend some quality time in the sun and you do enjoy eating fish fairly often, you could probably benefit from a high quality D3 supplement.www.facebook.com

There are many high quality D3 supplements on the market, but there are also vitamin supplements that are of low quality and therefore will not provide the benefits that you are looking for. Healthy, Happy, Smart and Lean? Learn the Benefits of Vitamin D3

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Is Anger at "X" Ruining Your Life?

By Sheryl Stanton
We had a family gathering last week that one of my sons refused to attend. One of his brothers had said and done something to him a couple of months earlier that was very hurtful and he refused to come to any activity if his brother was going to be there.

What his brother did and said was wrong. I'm not excusing his actions at all. But he did apologize twice. He apologized in his own way, which to many people and certainly to my son, was not an apology at all. So, the apologies were not accepted and now my two sons are estranged from each other. How sad!

And yet I wonder, who is suffering the most? I think it is my son who didn't accept the apology and continues to brood about the wrong that was done to him. He thinks about it all the time. He feels the hurt and pain again and again.

Not only that, he has deprived himself of fun activities by refusing to join us for family gatherings. He stays home alone in his apartment and broods while we have fun together.

The biggest problem here, although he would deny it completely, is that my son has given away his own personal power to his brother. The brother, who he is so hurt and angry at, is the one who is controlling my hurt son's emotions - and actions!

If you let someone else's words or actions affect how you are going to think or behave, they are in control of your life! Is this what you want?

I understand how my son feels because I used to do the same thing. Someone would say or do something that offended me and then I didn't want anything to do with them any more. But one time, I cared too much about the relationship to end it in such a negative way, so I screwed up my courage, went to see them and told them how I felt.

The other person was completely flabbergasted! They had no idea that they had said or done anything to hurt my feelings. We were able to resolve the problem immediately and kept our friendship.

I have continued to apply that principle over the years. In most cases, people do not set out deliberately to hurt or offend us. Many times they are not even aware that you are upset. When it is brought to their attention, the problem can be resolved. If it isn't, at least you have made the effort and you have kept your power.www.facebook.com

You can recognize that they are having a problem, and it is not your fault. That allows you to keep your power and your peace. You are in control of your life and your emotions then - not someone else. Is Anger at "X" Ruining Your Life?

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