The Mental Emotional Health Blog

First of all, I want to say Happy Thanksgiving to all of my readers in the USA. And to all of my readers wherever you are, I am thankful each time you visit and write comments. This site is so much better because of all of you. I plan to someday add a wellness or positivity discussion board to allow MentalEmotionalHealth.com to become more interactive.

After my previous post on Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), someone asked me about the lights some people use to help get them through the Winter months and the shortened hours of sunlight. Use of these special lights is called “phototherapy”, which has been shown to have some effects in counteracting the depressive symptoms of SAD. For a brief summary of SAD, check out http://www.smhca.org/sad.aspx . My previous post on Seasonal Affective Disorder is here:  http://mentalemotionalhealth.com/2008/11/19/get-those-healthy-habits-down-now/ .

Take care, everyone!

It’s already starting to affect me this year. The last few years I have seemed to get a taste of the Winter Blues, also known as Seasonal Affective Disorder. It usually isn’t bad enough to really nail my functioning and mood, but I have noticed a change already. The form it takes for me includes: tiredness with occasional fatigue, short-term memory challenges, little spurts of irritability, a little more difficulty getting out of bed in the morning, and each day I seem to either have noticeably more or less appetite.

The bad news is I’m expecting this in varying degrees until probably February. The good news is it will end and I am used to it and know what to do, and any of you that suffer through the winter months hoping for longer days can fight back these symptoms too.

Here are some ideas, pretty standard for fighting depression:

• Practice good nutrition, with meals or healthy snacks every 3 hours or so
• Stay hydrated with water
• Go to bed 1 hour earlier than usual
• Exercise lightly or moderately each day (even if it is for 5-10 minutes)
• Every once in a while, change your routine slightly or try something new (such as driving or walking a different way to work than usual)
• Talk with your physician or physician’s assistant now if you haven’t already, and then follow up again if you feel worse as the weeks go on
• Keep paying attention to your personal hygiene and shower daily, it helps
• Travel somewhere sunny and warm if you can

The important thing to remember is to not give up. Symptoms may be happening to you, but they don’t have to define you. Also, improvement is gradual so don’t expect a benefit to your efforts for at least 2 weeks.

If you get the chance, spend some time outside this weekend. Observe and enjoy nature. Breathe some fresh air that hasn’t been pumped through vents. Take in some light that isn’t fluorescent. Look at colors that aren’t painted on walls. Listen to the wind blowing leaves around instead of the television.  Take your time instead of rushing.

Tomorrow, October 10th, 2008, is an important day. October 10th is recognized annually as World Mental Health Awareness Day. This year in the United States, October 10th is  National Depression Screening Day. I have provided a couple links to check out if you are in the U.S.

The first link goes directly to the National Depression Screening Day site, where you can get connected to depression and suicide prevention resources, find a screening site in your area, or take an online screening survey. http://www.mentalhealthscreening.org/events/ndsd/index.aspx

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has a wealth of information to look through, and also provides links to resources.  http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/

For my readers in the UK and other parts of the world, please visit the mental health section of the World Health Organization’s  website. http://www.who.int/mental_health/en/

If you are concerned that you might have depression, anxiety, or that your overall mental health isn’t what it should be, talk with your doctor, health provider, counselor, or check out some of the links above. People don’t have to be alone, especially if they don’t feel like themselves.  

Every once in a while I want to get out a jumble of thoughts I have accumulated from therapy sessions. Somehow it helps me refine my therapy style and clears my mind. There are also times when conversation in session progresses to a deep enough level that I find myself considering ideas beyond the therapy room. Here are my thoughts today, and remember that this a glimpse of a few things that fly through a therapist’s mind:

• If the client feels he or she has no options, widen the perspective.
• If he or she feels overwhelmed, narrow the focus.
• Always provide hope.
• Everyone has normal in them, and some forget that.
• Laughter isn’t just the best medicine, it is like pure, cool water that prevents your soul from being dehydrated.
• Music has many great qualities (if it’s good music), and two aspects of music that stand out are its ability to calm your mind, and its ability to affect your mood.
• If you talk on the phone until your ear gets sweaty, you may be on too long.
• Therapy feels like a juggling act to me sometimes. It’s like I have different ideas flying around, and pick one at a time to toss to my client. Sometimes the client drops it, and other times we play catch for a while while I continue juggling.
• People really are interesting.
• Some people are boring, but I generally prefer that to loud and overly dramatic.
• Every person has an opportunity each day to expand his or her mind. It doesn’t need to be earth-shattering or profound. Sometimes a little growth that happens consistently allows the mind to remember its creativity, energy, and power.