How to Combat Postpartum Depression
Do you think you have postpartum depression? Don’t worry because there is nothing wrong with you. Postpartum depression affects most mothers, especially new moms. It is also commonly known as “baby blues” and it is caused by the sudden changes in your hormones. Most women experience the symptoms of postpartum depression for about a week; however, it can also last longer in some women.
Before you learn about how to combat postpartum blues, it is very helpful for you to learn how to identify its symptoms. These symptoms are quite similar to that of normal depression; however, they do not last very long. Usually mothers with post partum depression often are irritable which is why they can get easy angry and upset by even the smallest things. Exhaustion is also very common. Also, they also tend to pull away from their baby. They may even try to ignore their responsibilities as a mother and have someone else take care of their baby. One reason for this is that they get anxious about how well they can do their responsibilities and they are afraid that they will just harm their baby. This can even resort to panic attacks.
Other symptoms for postpartum depression include changes in appetite, sleep pattern disturbances, low libido, and fatigue. A confirmatory sign is an unexplainable constant feeling of sadness or guilt.
If you do have postpartum blues, there are several ways to combat it, so don’t worry.
- The first thing to do is to take care of yourself and you should start with getting enough rest and sleep. Lack of quality rest can lead to irritability and fatigue.
- Another way to combat postpartum depression is to express your feelings. It will help give you peace of mind and help lessen the stress and anxiety you feel. Talking to someone about may seem very basic, but it really does help. Sometimes all you really need is someone to be there for you. Try talking to someone you can easily relate with, or someone that has also been through the baby blues.
- If you have a therapist, then you can talk to him as well. While medications are also available for treating postpartum depression, most physicians will tell you that regular counselling is still the most effective treatment for helping women cope with their depression.
- If counselling doesn’t work, antidepressants are prescribed to help new mothers overcome postpartum depression. Other doctors also prescribe psychotherapy such as the Emotional Freedom Technique which uses both psychology and acupuncture.
If you are pregnant and are worried about postpartum depression, don’t be. There are several ways of combating it. Another good thing is that not all pregnancies will result to it. Not all mothers will experience it, and even if you get it when you deliver your first baby, it doesn’t mean that you will also experience it on your next pregnancy. Postpartum depression is easily treatable, so get treated as early as you can. Don’t wait until it gets out of control before you start doing something about it.
The Brain, Use It or Lose It
We have all at some point in our life heard the phrase use it or lose it. We can apply it to skills we may have not used for years, and found you partially or totally lost the skill completely.
This old, but true saying applies to our body the same way. Centuries ago, during a more unsanitary time, our gallbladder had a major role in fighting germs and food breakdown. Now, due to proper cooking of foods, the gallbladder has become unused, unneeded, and has deteriorated in size and function.
The human body is very adaptable and has the potential to adapt according to our environment given enough time. Modern times, especially since the industrial revolution, have created something that the human body has found itself incapable of adapting to. The demands of a faster paced society, deadlines, and a state of always being in a hurry have destroyed our body’s harmony. Your body and brain has been programmed to run at a faster speed than was intended. We don’t take time to properly rest and give the brain time to properly reflect on activities before the next has started. To make things worse, we rely on modern conveniences and have become less physically active.
The brain in ways is a super computer controlling and regulating every aspect of our body. Our body is loaded with safety programs, just like a computer. The presence or lack of a hormone tells the brain to turn on or off something else. What happens to your computer if the firewall gets turned off? It becomes vulnerable to attacks. The brain is no different; it has its own firewall called serotonin (natural shield). Serotonin, at normal levels, creates a natural shield that protects us from falling apart and is produced during exercise. While indulging ourselves with all the modern conveniences and becoming less active we have been training our brains to produce less and less serotonin.
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As we replace our serotonin, we are in fact building up mental/spiritual roadblocks. These roadblocks affect our ability to think clearly and allow for fear and doubt to control our decisions and actions.
The absence of, or low serotonin levels have disarmed our firewall making our brains very vulnerable to depression, stress, and anxiety. To further complicate the problem, we as a society have begun relying on antidepressants to replace the role of our serotonin.
As we slowly replace our serotonin with pharmaceuticals we send the message to our brain that we need less and less so the brain produces less. This in turn causes us to require larger doses or stronger pharmaceuticals to make us feel better.
As our brains slowly stop producing serotonin, and has been replaced with pharmaceuticals there comes a point where the brain forgets how to make its own serotonin.
Have we reached a point where some may say they don’t need it? We have food processing companies so we don’t need our gallbladder. We have pharmaceutical companies so we don’t need serotonin.
Therapeutic levels of serotonin can be rebuilt through a carefully planned fitness approach such as the W.A.R. (worry, adrenaline, rest) method from Building The Temple Therapeutic Fitness program.
The solution is within our lifestyle changes. Exercise and being active produces serotonin. Medications for mood stabilization should only be used for short periods of time to avoid dependency. Usage during the period of exercising to build up serotonin levels is ideal, but should be stopped when a therapeutic serotonin level has been achieved. This should only be done under the supervision of a physician.
Depression, Stress, Anxiety, And Our Inability to Cope
Once considered a taboo subject, now is being discussed more openly due to television talk shows. We have devised several methods to combat this disease of modern times. Barriers are being broken down and more people are openly seeking medical health.
Family physicians have taken the first line of defense by prescribing mild antidepressants all the way to Zanax. These prescriptions are usually written after other stress related health problems have been identified. Psychiatrists and counselors only enter the scene after the family physician has had little or no progress.
Either way treatment focuses on medication, lying on the couch, or both. In a way this is much like taking antacids for a stomach ulcer. It knocks down the acid, but the pain and problems go on.
To properly treat this epidemic proportion health problem of our time, we first need to understand where it originates from. There are many credible Psychiatrists and counselors capable of helping you with identifying your stress or worry triggers.
Identifying these triggers as some would have you believe is your goal, so as to control them. Knowing your stress/worry triggers serve no other point than to assist you with avoiding them.
Common sense tells me that if I have chest pain, I need to have my heart checked. Depression, stress, and anxiety being from the mind lets me know to look at the brain. The Problem here is no one wants to admit to a problem in the brain. It is one of those things that society looks at differently.
Keep in mind there are many different types of problems with the brain. There is a huge difference between an organic problem in the brain and a chemical imbalance. Serotonin is the brains natural shield; it literally is the magic chemical that holds our mind together. Some of us have limited amounts of serotonin while others have an abundance. Also among those with limited and abundant amounts of serotonin have different life experiences that help develop their coping skills.
Low serotonin levels in the brain set the environment for depression, stress, or anxiety to occur. With a lowered serotonin level even a person with a variety of life experiences to pull from could become susceptible.
Serotonin is produced within the brain as a result of physical exercise. Although any kind of exercise will produce serotonin, aerobic is slightly preferred because of the increased blood flow to the brain.
When you suffer from depression, stress, or anxiety it can be difficult to see the path to good health, or even how to make it through some life issues. The hardest part could be realizing the path you are on. You have to exercise long enough to train your brain to produce adequate levels of serotonin to stabilize your brains natural shield. The stabilization process could take as long as three months of physical activity at a frequency of three times per week. The alternative is to stay on your present course and rely on pharmaceutical treatment.
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The down side to pharmaceutical treatments is with time they require higher doses or adjusting to stronger pharmaceuticals. As the body becomes more reliable on pharmaceuticals the body becomes more reliant upon them due to producing less, and less serotonin.
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Choosing the appropriate type of exercise program is just as important as choosing to exercise in itself. The W.A.R. (worry, adrenaline, rest) method of Building Thee Temple Therapeutic Fitness is the only fitness program to offer such an approach.
Physical exercise is not offering the only reasonable solution but can also improve your overall health. It would be wise to discuss the use of mood stabilizing pharmaceuticals during the serotonin stabilization process with your physician.
Fight Depression With Folic Acid Pills
Being unhappy can lead to a variety of other problems. People’s performance at work is affected. Their family life doesn’t go too well. If this mind disease is not treated in time, it could really endanger a person’s life. Being around a depressed person too is not very pleasant. Mood swing is a symptom of a person falling into depression. This is usually caused due to a deficiency in folic acid. Folic acid is just another name for Vitamin B complex. This is found in a variety of food items, and a deficiency in such a vitamin juts means that you are not eating food that is rich in this acid. As you may have heard a million times before, a deficiency in even a single nutrient in the body causes the body to fail to function at its best. Vitamins are just a tiny part of the list of nutrients that body needs. Every nutrient deficiency has a different effect on the body and a deficiency in folic acid causes depression and mood swings. To take care of this, a simple way is to consume appropriate supplements.
Determining the nutritional needs of your body
A person can best judge when he is lacking a particular nutrient. He need not necessarily know which one it is, but he will know that there is something wrong. A deficiency causes the body to be functional improperly. There are very symptoms for a deficiency of the various minerals and vitamins. Minerals and vitamins are essential even for the slightest movements you make in a day, and you will be well aware that they are lacking in your body when parts of it fails to function properly. You need to constantly keep a check on the nutritional needs of your body. This way, you can avoid health problems as well. In case you are not aware or familiar with the symptoms, you could also visit a doctor or a physician about the same. They are the best people to help you and guide you through the process.
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Finding a suitable multivitamin
Usually, the best vitamin supplements are the ones that have all the essential nutrients that are required by the body. However, in case such as a person suffering from depression, it is best that he or she looks for a product that has a rich quantity of folic acid. These are usually available in pills. Pills are actually the best for of supplements. You can carry them around without the fear of them breaking or spilling. You could also take them at your convenience. An important point you must keep in mind is that if you are suffering from depression and under any prescribes medication; consult your doctor first before taking folic acid products to improve your condition. This could have a negative reaction on your health. Apart from that, buy products only from sources you can rely and are sure about. This why, you can rest assured that you are not being provided with goods that are of poor quality. Poor quality products can cause more damage.
Folic acid supplements need to be taken only in controlled dosage. Don’t overdo it. Of course, the natural intake of vitamin B through appropriate food is the best way of staying away from deficiency. However, yes, there are people who do not have the time or resources to meet such requirements. So, product rich in folic acid is the ideal substitution. These pills also enhance the functioning of your brain. Pills that are made from herbal extracts are the best as they are in the most natural form. A folic acid pill a day keeps depression away!
Natural Treatment for Depression
Depression is an insidious mental illness that leaves its sufferers without energy or emotion. Often, people who are depressed will not even be aware of the change in their attitudes, emotions and behaviors. They are only aware of an increasing apathy and lack of pleasure in life.
In addition to the emotional impact, there are a number of common symptoms in depression. These symptoms include loss of appetite, sleep problems (both difficulty falling asleep and sleeping excessively), lack of interest in regular hobbies and pastimes, and difficulty concentrating.
What many people do not realize is that depression is a destructive illness. It destroys lives, friendships and families. People who are unfamiliar with depression may blame the victim for his or her illness. Even those who understand that depression is truly an illness, may eventually stop trying to interact with someone who is depressed, because they feel like there is nothing they can do.
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This can leave a depressed person in an even worse position, with no support from family or friends, often feeling as if it is their fault, and at the same time convinced there is nothing they can do about it.
And that is probably the worst thing about depression. It destroys the hope and belief that it is possible to get better.
Luckily, it is definitely possible to get better. There are a number of treatments for depression that can help. Something that a depressed person can do to help themselves is to discover homeopathy, which is a natural treatment for ill health, including depression.
Homeopathy has many benefits for people suffering from depression. Unlike traditional medications for depression, it has no side effects; and it begins to work almost immediately.
This natural treatment for depression can be used at home or a professional homeopath can help develop a plan for a more in depth healing. Plus, because it doesn’t have any dangerous side effects, it can be taken as long as necessary and stopped whenever it is no longer needed.
The holistic nature of homeopathy means that it can address both mental/emotional and physical causes of depression, allowing healing to be complete.
Depression is not something anyone should have to live with. If you or someone you know is suffering from depression, consider a natural treatment for depression with homeopathy to help heal and recover the life they love.
Oh – and a nice bonus! Using homeopathy as a natural treatment for depression is very economical. Homeopathy is a cost effective treatment that returns great results without a huge expense.
Fighting Depression Through Setting Goals
Two of the most devastating aspects of depression are the loss of motivation and the despair. It takes energy and drive even to think of identifying goals and setting targets to achieve them when you are feeling depressed. However, as soon as you feel able, this step is a necessary part of recovery and an essential element of living with the hazard of recurrent depression.
Buy a diary or an exercise book and note your ambitions in the three areas of your life. No matter how far fetch something seems, write it down. You can consider later whether your choices are realistic. Each time you add something to the book, date it.
All ambitions and achievements are made up of small but significant steps. To take the first step, you need to identify your ambitions. Then you need to identify the steps required to bring you closer to your ambitions. Let’s say you want to learn to play the piano. You will need a piano, music books and a teacher. The cheapest way to go about this is to contact your local adult education institute and enroll for a suitable course. Another way would be to find a private teacher. You can find one through local advertisements, the Yellow Pages or by word of mouth. You can use the same sorts of methods for finding out about any activity.
As another example, let’s say that you wish to lose weight. There are two rules: eat smaller amounts of less fattening foods and exercise more.
Being Realistic
It is important that your ambitions are realistic. A 40-year-old woman is unlikely to become a supermodel and a 40-year-old man even less likely to become a football star. It is also important to remember that depression is a normal response to a sad life event. What is crucial is the severity, duration, degree of disablement and to what extent your behavior ia affected; it is when depression is severe, lengthy and prevents you from fully functioning that you need treatment.
Setting Achievable Goals
When you have decided on a realistic goal, break it down into a series of smaller goals to be achieved in stages.
• Whether you want to paint a room or write a novel, start with a plan.
• Divide the task into smaller steps – doors, ceiling, walls and windows or pages and chapters.
• Reward yourself as each step is accomplished.
Looking Back at Your Goals
• Do you feel that you have a good balance of work and pleasure in your life? What do you wish to achieve in your work life? Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
• What do you wish to achieve emotionally, spiritually and materially for your family and home?
• What are the activities on which you would like to spend time? For example, reading, singing, going to the cinema, picture framing, dance your favourite sport or walking.
Check your diary or notebook every few days to make sure that you are on target for realizing your ambitions. You can realize many of your ambitions. Take the first steps now. Achieving any step towards realizing your ambitions, however small, is another step towards recovery.
Heal Depression With Zen
Depression is a disease of the mind. Zen, which is about mental state, may offer a new perspective of the disease. You may even heal depression with Zen.
Depression is a devastating mental illness affecting millions of people all over the worlds. Depression is a mental condition due to distorted thinking. In distorted thinking, the mind does not see things as what they really are. That is to say, a depressed individual tends to “see” and “hear” things with the brain, instead of with the eyes and the ears. Given that a perception is a reality, the distorted thoughts create deceptive perceptions that become “real” to that depressed individual. Over time, these distorted perceptions continue to talk to that individual in the form of internal dialogues, causing more mental confusion. As a result, that individual begins to lose his or her own identity, not knowing what to do, drifting from one thing to another, feeling incapacitated in dealing with the problems of life. The feeling of inertness and the sense of loss are some of the common characteristics of depression.
One of the reasons why modern psychiatry may not be effective in dealing with depression is that it focuses on “analyzing” the mental and behavioral problems of the patient with the explicit purpose of helping the patient to “avoid” them in the future. But, according to Zen, that is exactly where the problem originates. In Zen, there is no such a sickness as “depression” because mental illness is no more than a condition of the mind with distorted thoughts of self and reality.
To illustrate, many depressed individuals have a distorted perception of self-worth: they wish they were someone else. Zen focuses on who you are, rather than what you want to become. Zen purges the mind of any low self-esteem. Wanting to be someone you would like to become is the source of pain — just as longing for things that are not obtainable, and expecting results that are not met. Once the pain is created, the patient or the psychiatrist begins to seek “analysis” and “explanation” of the pain, hoping to find a “solution” to the problem, thereby enabling the patient to “avoid” the pain in the future. Unfortunately, that becomes the cause of more pain and more mental confusion.
According to Zen, life is never a problem to be solved. If there is no problem, why do you need a solution? Life never has a problem, and if there is a problem, that is because you have created the problem for yourself. So, if there is no problem, then why do you need to “analyze” and “explain” the problem? The problem with modern psychiatry is that once you have created a problem, you need a solution to the problem. In attempting to solve the problem, you begin to analyze the problem and examine the options available to solve the problem. In the process, you generate stress, which only aggravates the problem. You become more confused and mentally depressed.
Live a life of Zen — living in the present moment, with no problems, and no expectations. You can heal depression with Zen.
Zen is about spontaneity — the naturalness of things. In Zen living, you do not strive to analyze or explain what happens in your life. You just learn to embrace whatever that may come your way. Life is to be experienced, not just to be enjoyed. Therefore, you do not try to avoid anything in life. Neither do you try to “accept” what is pleasant and “reject” what is unpleasant; the very act of “selecting” is a sickness of the mind. To heal depression with Zen, you must learn to let go — not just of the past (especially a traumatic past experience that might have triggered the depression) but also what you are afraid to let go. Once you mind becomes uncluttered by distorted thoughts, you begin to look at everything in your life in perspective. Once you see the priorities in your life, you may learn to let go of everything, including your past, and you are well on the way to healing depression. Yes, you can heal depression with Zen.
Positive Side of Depression We Don’t Think About
There is a positive side to depression although it may be hard to believe. Since we compare life to a journey, I would say depression is sitting down and resting on a sidewalk before moving again. If you feel that your journey had many obstacles like rainstorm, snowstorm, or any kind of storm, then you will need more resting time than others.
Depression, as I call it depression, adds another layer to your being. We are constantly moving or doing something, and it becomes impossible to stop and think what is going on your life. Most of us are unwilling to slow down ourselves. Usually something disastrous has to happen for us to stop what we are doing. Unfortunately, we are very much alarmed by this transient delay and are too eager for quick fix, whether it is medication, support group, or therapy. And, they are all fine except none works unless you decide to work on your issues.
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You build a prison for yourself, and you are stuck. That is OK. Perhaps medication will help you get up in the morning. Perhaps you can have human connection you need from your support group. Perhaps you found someone you can trust with your therapist. Then, do what you have to do. Vegetate. Sleep more. Cry more. Feel nothing. Think about your childhood, your relationships, your family and friends. Think about your evil enemy, the one that got away, accidents and failures. Let the pain hurt you and hurt you and hurt you.
However, allow people in your life to express their appreciation for you. Let them call you and leave a voice mail. Let them email you to see how you are doing. Let them send you a card, a letter, an invitation even if they know you won’t be there.
I am not a therapist, and I honestly do not know what to do if you are suicidal. You should ask for help from a clinician right away. It literally is a matter of life and death.
When you are able to stop your movement and sit, after a while, you can see a big picture. You notice a lot of things on the road, and you may even be able to read a sign. You are the same person but not the same as before. Second time you have to stop and pause, you will have a cool look in life. You won’t be so obsessed, hyper, or indifferent. You will take life as it comes. Remember? Life is a journey, and you just had to sit down and take a break.
Am I Depressed? Ten Common Symptoms of Depression
Depression is frequently referred to as a psychological disease. You will find various kinds of depression, varying from mild to severe. It’s tough to identify factors that create depression. However there have been many studies done to comprehend the underlying reasons for depression and to assist in preventing it. However with nearly 10% of the population suffering signs and symptoms of depression at any time, do you know the telltale signs that answer the question “Am I Depressed?”
The signs and symptoms of depression are varied and also the severity changes as time passes. And, experts say depression is definitely an inherited disorder, or triggered by life threatening ailments, or stress. Other causes are certain illnesses, medications, drugs, alcohol, or mental ailments. Women are noticed to suffer depression a lot more than males which is credited to hormonal shifts, menstrual period changes, pregnancy, miscarriage, pre-menopause, and post-menopausal changes. T better help you better answer the question “am I depressed?” continue reading.
The Ten common signs and symptoms of depression are:
1) Physical conditions like headaches, digestive complaints, and chronic discomfort without any underlying cause or stressful factors.
2) Suicidal ideas and brooding (showing deep disappointment of thought).
3) Extreme insomnia or consistent lack of night sleep
4) Unshakeable sadness, anxiety or lack of feelings
5) Overwhelming hopelessness supported by pessimistic feelings.
6) Extreme guilt, feelings of helplessness, with no feeling of self worth.
7) Affected by constant fatigue, lack of energy, a slower metabolism, and activity levels.
Irritable, short temper, unapproachable.
9) A feeling of helplessness together with an growing lack of ability to concentrate and indecisiveness.
10) Inexplicable weight reduction or gain usually triggered by appetite loss or eating binges.
If you think that you’re depressed take matters in hand and check out and eliminate negativity from your mind. Eliminate from your existence terms like exhaustion, worthlessness, and hopelessness. Improve your existence by setting a couple of simple goals on your own and go after them. Try to relax, meditate, and pay attention to songs. Start new activities that absorb your time and effort in addition to interests. Get out there and meet people and take part in group activities. Avoid associating with negative people making your very best effort to put yourself around positive, beneficial people. Make a decision to see a film, go to a ballgame, family outing, or have a picnic. Stay positive, confident, and also have belief in yourself. Belief itself is an excellent healer. Decide to modify your world for the better. However do stick to the doctor’s advice. Treatment may include: anti-depressant medications, psychiatric therapy, in addition to changes in lifestyle. Natural, drug free remedies can also be a choice to think about.
In case your depression gets worse or else you are suicidal seek the aid of your loved ones, physician or healthcare provider. Do call a nearby health department, area mental health center, or hospital or clinic. Someone will extend a hand of support and talk you through your crisis. Remember, if you need to ask yourself “am I depressed”, you most likely are and need to find immediate attention.
Depression and Anxiety – What’s Really Going On
Many people make their way into their doctor’s office with complaints of fatigue, anxiety, or lack of energy, drive and focus. In many cases, attending physicians dispense anti-depressants, (some times like candy) such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) as a means to treat their symptoms of depression or anxiety.
What these patients are actually experiencing is problems with the neurotransmitters in their brains, most notably Dopamine, Epinephrine, Norepinephrine, GABA and Glutamate. SSRI’s block neurotransmitter pathways and often result in a vast array of side effects, including sexual dysfunction, nausea, nervousness, weight gain and insomnia. Most often when people are placed on SSRIs they are worried about what will happen if they stop taking them, so they are stuck taking a drug with adverse side effects.
What is commonly missed in traditional drug treatment is that depression and anxiety are caused by an imbalance rather than a disease. When dopamine levels are elevated, anxiety or hyperactivity can develop. When Epinephrine and Norepinephrine levels are too low or too high, anxiousness, stress, sleeplessness, weight gain or poor concentration can occur. GABA levels regulate the activity of glutamate, which prevents over stimulation and effects memory and learning capabilities.
Symptoms of depression and anxiety can be treated nutritionally. Natural therapy minimizes particular neurotransmitter pathways instead of blocking them, reducing side effects and providing patients a natural, safe and effective way to treat their symptoms.
When a patient seeks the medical advice of a naturopathic physician for depression or anxiety, he or she is administered a very simple urine or, in the case of adrenal gland problems, a saliva test. Neurotransmitter levels and deficiencies are then measured through the products of the urine or saliva.
Once it is evaluated which neurotransmitters are off, nutritional therapy can help restore balance by modulating pathways. Compounds based from amino acids create this balance and are prescribed along with B vitamins and sometimes natural herbs.
Nutritional therapy helps restore balance to hormone levels and neurotransmitters. Every patient is different and requires different levels and combinations of amino acids and vitamins. A common herb that is prescribed to accompany these nutrients is Rhodiola rosea, a plant with adaptogen properties that has been used for centuries to treat depression and anxiety.
The average patient that seeks help for depression or anxiety does not have to suffer the effects and dependency on SSRIs. People can, through nutritional therapy, avoid taking pharmaceutical drugs and restore balance and health.