Have U Ever (had someone relate to you?)

During this battle with depression, you will tend to feel like know one understands you and the dont get what you’re going through. That’s how I feel at moments, I just ask if anyone knows how I feel, and then I ran into this song Sometimes. The funny thing is, is that I am a huge Brandy fan and she has always been a muse for me when I was down. During this stage in my life, I figured I was immune to her beautiful voice, and ability to write relatable songs, but I guess not. I hope you enjoy, because this is the most comforting song I have heard in along time.

Fuck getting help, here are others ways to help yourself

I am a strong believer that in order to get help you have to start helping yourself. Apart of helping yourself involves trying to search for ways to get help, but into then, you have to rely on natural mind techniques that will help deal with this depression.

It’s not unusual to experience some of the signs of depression from time to time. But if the feelings are very strong all the time, there are things you can do to help yourself.

• Notice ‘thinking errors’ – are you overgeneralising. For example, do you imagine every pain is a deadly disease? Do you tell yourself everything is going wrong when only one thing has gone wrong?
• Balance frightening thoughts with reassuring statements.
• Occupy your mind. Concentrating on something can lift your mood.
• Exercise. Physical activity relaxes you and makes you feel good.
• Pay attention to the way you look.
• Eat a regular diet of wholefoods.
• Avoid alcohol. It’s a depressant, even if it makes you feel temporarily better.
• Investigate alternative and complementary therapies.

If your low mood interferes with your home, family or work, lasts for two weeks or more, or brings you to the point of thinking about suicide, you may be experiencing clinical depression and you should seek help. There are many kinds of help available. Talk to your GP or contact a mental health organisation.

 

“Coping Techniques.” BBC HEALTH. Winter 2007. Thought Diaries. 1 Apr. 2008 <http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/conditions/mental_health/coping_thoughtdiaries1

When to seek help

Other ways to help yourself

Monitoring Your Thoughts

Right now, I have been learning how to manage my depression and one of the ways I do so is by controlling my thoughts. A few weeks ago, I visited the BBC website and went to the Health section where I learned this technique. I had to follow four steps, which seemed like alot, but as I always say, depression doesn’t go away over night, it is a working progress that needs time.

According to BBC Health, the first step of montoring your thoughts is to be clear about what the problem is, because what you’re dealing with may not really be a problem at all.

The second step you should take to monitor your thoughts is to monitor how bad the problem really is because some problems are things that can’t be let go, however, ssome problems are very serious and for a depressed person, serious problems can sometimes make you feel worst.

The third step to monitor your thoughts is to find steps between where you are now and where you want to be. I think this is the best step to take because you get to map out how you feel, and how you use to feel and how you want to feel. Then all you have to do is use positive thinking to get closer to how you want to feel. I think that also eliminates negative thinking because you now know how you want to feel, and you began to refuse to feel any other way.

The final step in montoring your thoughts is to work through the steps at your own pace. Remember, I already told you guys that everyone has their own depression, so if a group of us were following these steps, we wouldn’t want to do them at the same time, because we all react differently to our problems.

For more information about monitoring your thoughs, visit http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/conditions/mental_health/coping_thoughtdiaries1.shtml.

“Coping Techniques.” BBC HEALTH. Winter 2007. Thought Diaries. 1 Apr. 2008 <http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/conditions/mental_health/coping_thoughtdiaries1.shtml>.

Remember, You are beautiful

I know I posted “I Get Lonely” by Janet Jackson, and I said that it helped me because I could relate to the song, but I realized that it’s always good to have a song that lifts you up (like a face-lift) and makes you love yourself again. While searching www.youtube.com, I ran into the live performance of “Beautiful” by Christina Aguilera. I am not gonna lie, I got alitlle tear-eyed because the way she sang the song really hit home and made me feel special for about 10 mins. Even though the feeling was temporary, it still was what I needed to get through the day. Enjoy, and let me know how you feel.

Preventing Suicide

Hey Guys,

   On a more serious note, I have been watching the news alot and latley I have been seeing reports of people dying from suicide and it scares  me. It scares me because that could be one of us, one of us could let this depression get the best of us and I don’t want that to happen. In the follow link, http://www1.whdh.com/news/articles/local/BO76360/, a couple and their dog were found dead  as a result of suicide. So I went to dig up some research to find ways of preventing depression, especially for depressed people. Not to mention, over 10-20 million people try to committ suicide a year.

    I have had some experience with suicide. When I was 11 years old, i was in a foster home with some really bad foster parents. I think that they must have stressed me out and mistreated me so much that they drove me to try and hang myself. When I look back now, I am glad it didn’t work and I am guessing that some of these techniques must have prevented me from trying again. Let me know what you all think.

• Tell your doctor or mental health professional immediately.

• Tell a friend, family member or other support person.

• Make sure you do not have access to guns, sharp objects, old medications or anything you could use to harm yourself. Have a family member lock them away or dispose of them completely.

• Instruct a close supporter to take away your car keys, credit cards and checkbook when you are having strong suicidal feelings.

• Keep pictures of your favorite people visible at all times to remind you that they are there to support you.

• If you need someone to stay with you, don’t be afraid to ask.

“Coping with Unexpected Events: Depression and Trauma.” Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance. Feb.-Mar. 2008. Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA). 30 Mar. 2008 http://www.dbsalliance.org/site/PageServer?pagename=about_publications_trauma.

“Suicide and Psychiatric Diagnosis: a Worldwide Perspective.” World Psychiatry. Oct. 2002. Masson. 30 Mar. 2008 http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1489848.

 

FLASHBACK of the DAY

Hey Hey Hey,

   I was in the shower and I was listening to my playlist on my laptop. I have so many different genres on my laptop including R&B, Country, Metal, Electronica, Hip-Hop and Alternative. When I least aexpected it, Janet Jackson’s song “I Get Lonely” came on and I instantly felt better because I can relate to the song myself. When I got the chance, I did some resarch and found out that Janet Jackson was depressed when she wrote the album Velvet Rope, which features “I Get Lonely” on it. I hope you enjoy, and remember, music is one of the many ways someone can cope with their depression.

“Janet Jackson- Velvet Rope.” Rolling Stones. Mar. 2008. All Music Guide. 29 Mar. 2008 .

“Janet Jackson.” Wikipedia. 29 Mar. 2008. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 29 Mar. 2008 .

College = Depression

Hey guys,

  So I was visiting some websites as usual about depression and I came accorss as wesite that talked about college students and depression. Not only does this website offer advice to students who are battling depression, but it also walks you through depression with seven different steps.

1. Carefully plan your day.  Make time every day to prioritize your work.  Prioritizing can give you a sense of control over what you must do and a sense that you can do it.

2. Plan your work and sleep schedules.  Too many students defer doing important class work until nighttime, work through much of the night, and start every day feeling exhausted.  Constant fatigue can be a critical trigger for depression.  Seven or eight hours of sleep a night is important to your well- being.

3. Participate in an extracurricular activity.  Sports, theater, fraternities and sororities, the student newspaper – whatever interests you – can bring opportunities to meet people interested in the same things you are, and these activities provide welcome change from class work.

4. Seek support from other people.  This may be a roommate or a friend from class.  Friendships can help make a strange place feel more friendly and comfortable.  Sharing your emotions reduces isolation and helps you realize that you are not alone.

5. Try relaxation methods.  These include meditation, deep breathing, warm baths, long walks, exercise – whatever you enjoy that lessens your feelings of stress and discomfort.

6. Take time for yourself every day.  Make special time for yourself – even if it’s only for 15 minutes a day.  Focusing on yourself can be energizing and gives you a feeling of purpose and control over your life.

7. Work towards recovery.  The most important step in combating depression and reclaiming your college experience is to seek treatment.  Your physician should communicate to you that remission of symptoms should be your goal and work with you to determine whether psychological counseling, medication or a combination of both treatments is needed.

  So for those of you are suffering from depression and are college students, try some of these steps. And remember, everyone’s depression is different so all of the steps may not work for you. I called my doctor and he said that these techniques are great to try, you should consult your doctor as well.

Shern, David L. “Factsheet: Depression in College.” Mental Health America. 29 Mar. 2008. 25 Mar. 2008 <http://www.nmha.org/go/information/get-info/depression/depression-in-college>.

When Depression Is Severe

The followig information that is being posted was copied and pasted from another website because of its professional stand point.

—————-People who are extremely depressed and who may be thinking about hurting themselves or about suicide need help as soon as possible. When depression is this severe, it is a very real medical emergency, and an adult must be notified. Most communities have suicide hotlines where people can get guidance and support in an emergency.

Although it’s important to be supportive, trying to cheer up a friend or reasoning with him or her probably won’t work to help depression or suicidal feelings go away. Depression can be so strong that it outweighs a person’s ability to respond to reason. Even if your friend has asked you to promise not to tell, severe depression is a situation where telling can save a life. The most important thing a depressed person can do is to get help. If you or a friend feels unsafe or out of control, get help now. Tell a trusted adult, call 911, or go to the emergency room.

Depression doesn’t mean a person is ”crazy.” Depression (and the suffering that goes with it) is a real and recognized medical problem. Just as things can go wrong in all other organs of the body, things can go wrong in the most important organ of all: the brain. Luckily, most teens who get help for their depression go on to enjoy life and feel better about themselves.

Reviewed by: Michelle New, PhD
Date reviewed: October 2007

Works Cited

New, Michelle. “Teens Health.” The Nemours Foundation. Oct. 2007. 28 Mar. 2008 <http://www.kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/mental_health/depression.html>.

IP ADDRESS ISSUES

Hi everyone, I have been having some IP ADDRESS issues, and evertime I try to enter anythiing, something goes wrong and the site shuts down. So please bare with me, I have some exciting imfomation to give to you all.

How did I end up feeling like this???

Many of you who are battling depression may start asking yourself, how you ended up feeling like this. I mean one minute you are happy and the life of the party, and the next minute you are sad and unsure. Well I am here to tell you that your depression can be caused by anything.

According to Depression Screening, depression can be caused by Imbalance of brain chemicals called neurotransmitters; Certain diseases or illnesses; Negative thinking patterns;  Family history of depression; Difficult life events; Certain medications a Frequent and excessive alcohol consumption. The first thing that I did was call my family doctor, to make sure I had no history of bad mental health, or that depression wasn’t genetic for me. It is highly important that you find out this information because you don’t want to use the worng treatment to better yourself, only to slip further into depression.

   The cause of my current depression is Difficult Life Event, for more info read the ‘About’ section of this blog. So now that I know the cause, I am able to go and talk to a thearpist about my depression instead of taking medicine. Don’t get me wrong, some of you may have to take medicine for your depression, which I don’t recommend, but you need to do what you need to do to get better. The reason why I don’t recommend medicine is because according to Depression.com, the way depression effects the brain is through your neaurotransmitters; when taking medicine for depression, the medicnie does the same thing, effects your neurotransmitters, which has been known to cause schizophrenia. For more info on this matter, talk to your doctor.

In the mean time, check out the following websites for more info on your depression and if you get lonely, drop me a line.

 http://www.depression.com/depression_questionnaire.html

http://www.depression-screening.org/symptoms/symptoms.htm

“Welcome to Depression-Screening.Org.” Depression-Screening.Org. 2007. National Mental Health Association. 25 Mar. 2008 http://www.depression-screening.org/index.htm.

“Welcome to Depression.Com.” Depression.Com. Mar. 2008. GlaxoSmithKline. 25 Mar. 2008 <http://www.depression.com/depression_questionnaire.html>.