Depression Is Nothing to Be Ashamed Of

Photo via Pixabay

An estimated 350 million people in the world, and almost 15 million in the U.S. alone, suffer from depression. Depression is different from being sad, although people often misuse the term “depressed” for “sad.”

There’s a big difference between being sad and having a depressive episode or suffering from depression. Most people have “felt depressed” as a normal reaction to grief, loss, or struggles such as losing a job or having relationship problems.

But when feelings of intense sadness, including feeling that you’re helpless, hopeless, or worthless, last for weeks and keep you from functioning normally, you may have depression.

According to the DSM-5, a manual used to diagnose mental health disorders, depression means that you have at least five of the following symptoms for at least two weeks:

• A depressed mood during most of the day, particularly in the morning
• Fatigue or loss of energy almost every day
• Feelings of worthlessness or guilt almost every day
• Impaired concentration, indecisiveness
• Insomnia or hypersomnia (being unable to sleep or sleeping too much)
• Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in almost all activities that were once pleasurable (including hobbies or sex) nearly every day
• Recurring thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempts
• A sense of restlessness or being slowed down
• Significant weight loss or weight gain

What do you do if you have these symptoms? First of all, seek help. If you are suicidal, call 911. You can also call a mental health crisis line such as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (800-273-8255) or the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) hotline. You probably have local crisis lines, too, and you can look them up here.

It can be hard to reach out, especially when you’re in the throes of depression, but it’s critical that you do. Trained professionals at these crisis lines can assist you in getting the help you need.

You can also talk to your physician; he or she may be able to refer you for counseling or medication assistance.

And speaking of medication…needing to take psychiatric medications is nothing to be ashamed of. Psych meds help your brain to work better, in much the same way that insulin helps diabetics to stay alive and functional.

How is depression treated? The best treatment for major depression is a combination of therapy and medications. Therapy will help you process life events that could be contributing to your depression. You’ll also learn techniques to stop negative self-talk and other behaviors that contribute to your depression. Medications will regulate your brain chemistry to make you more resilient when stressful situations arise in your life.

For more information about depression and other mental illnesses such as bipolar disorder (alternating periods of deep depression and elation/risky behavior), visit this WebMD guide or the National Alliance on Mental Illness website.

Don’t be ashamed if you’re suffering from depression. You’re not alone, and you deserve to live. Reach out for help; it’s there, and better is possible.

Eat Your Way Out of a Depression

Image: Shutterstock

Many people turn to food when they’re depressed. The usual culprits include pizza, ice cream, and cookies. Unfortunately, junk food items like these can actually worsen the symptoms of depression. That’s because foods high in fat, sugar, and salt create a “crash” effect. Much like drugs, these foods provide an instant high immediately after being consumed. The salt, sugar, and fat releases dopamine in the brain, the compound responsible for human pleasure. But by the time the high wears off, these high-caloric foods cause the consumer to feel bloated, lethargic, and mentally foggy. That’s the last thing that someone who is depressed needs.

The good news is that there are plenty of healthy, mood-lifting alternatives to these junk-food cravings. The following comprises a list of nutritious substitutes that can help ease the symptoms of depression:

Sweet tooth?

Say hello to dark chocolate. Eaten in moderation (about 1.5 ounces per day), dark chocolate can provide numerous health benefits. Cocoa has a ton of antioxidants that ward off infections, fight the signs of aging, and boost energy levels. The tricky thing to watch out for is sugar content. Generally speaking, a higher cocoa percentage equates to less sugar. Consumers should aim for at least 72% cocoa in order to feel the uplifting effects of dark chocolate. 

Craving carbs?

Despite weight-loss experts touting the benefits of zero-carb diets, whole grains actually provide the body with much needed fiber, protein, vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals. These nutrients are essential in providing the energy the body needs to combat stress. However, bad carbs (such as white bread) cause insulin levels to spike. Spiked insulin levels can result in mood swings, fatigue, and irritability. If depression is taking its toll, ditch the overly processed bleached flours and instead opt for whole grains.

Can’t live without salt?

People who love salt are merely people who love flavor. There’s nothing wrong with that. But why not simultaneously enjoy flavor and health? For a sweet flavor, try some cinnamon, nutmeg, or saffron. For a spicy flavor, try cayenne, curry, cumin, or turmeric. Rosemary, basil, and thyme are also great options and taste delicious when used in soups.

In conclusion, it’s important not to feel guilty about having junk food cravings. The human body has evolved over time to crave foods high in fat, sugar, and salt because the extra calories could be stored as fat in times of starvation. However, in times of depression, just think of those extra calories being stored as extra hours of distress.

How to Break Up with a Toxic Friend

It's time to break up with your toxic friends.
Image: Shutterstock

There are many good friends you will come across in life. You know, the ones who will always pick up the phone and sing your praises when you’re not around. As we get older, many people experience their friend groups decrease in size, but the friendships they do have become more intimate. However, as friend groups continue to change, some people will encounter “frenemies” – people who use you as the butt of the joke or make you feel terrible about yourself so that they can feel better about themselves.

Toxic friendships need to be busted. You don’t have to stay in friendships where you are used as an emotional punching bag—because you are worth more than that. Downgrading a friendship isn’t easy, especially if you move in the same circles. Below are some tips on how to navigate a friendship sabbatical.

First take some time to reflect. This could just be a phase in your friendship… or it could be symptomatic of something going on their life. If this behavior continues, it suggests a simmering resentment to you on some level and you will need to deal with it head-on. Evaluate your relationship with this person using a critical lens; if this “friend” is offering nothing positive, it might be time to break up with them.

Second, brave the talk with them. Sit down with this person and be strong. During your conversation, take deep breaths and make direct eye contact. State the facts and address how they are not being kind or respectful to you. Try to be objective rather than hostile. And remember, if they are a true friend, they will show concern and not defensiveness during this exchange.

Then, prepare for the fallout. After confronting them, you might realize that their behavior towards you was just an excuse to blow off some steam, and this conversation could end up making your friendship stronger. You need to be honest with yourself and with them about what you are willing to compromise on and what you aren’t. If this friend isn’t open to altering their behavior towards you, you need to let them know that this toxicity isn’t healthy in your life and that you need some space.

Finally, move on. Sometimes it’s easier to start simple, such as by reducing the amount of text messages and phone calls, invites, etc. until the friendship dies of its own accord. Remember, break-ups aren’t just for romantic relationships, but unhealthy platonic ones too. You’ll be better off for breaking up with a toxic friend so that you can focus your attention on the positive people in your life.

Say Bye-Bye to Work Blues

Stress levels at work lately have been skyrocketing all around—and at least for me, stress comes with work blues. By the time Friday hits, I’m ready to run out and never return, and when bedtime arrives on Sunday, I’m never quite ready to finish up the weekend.

This is how I want to feel ALL the time: happy, relaxed, content.
Image: Shutterstock

Don’t get me wrong—I like my job quite a bit. I am constantly learning and there is always something to do. I work with some really awesome people, and I’m happier in this career than I have ever been before. But some mornings, I wake up and wish I could just roll over and forget about work.

Unfortunately, work’s not going to go away—and that means I’ve got to come up with a way to deal with these dang work blues when they come around. I don’t have a perfect solution to workweek blues, but I do have a few suggestions that have helped me in the past:

Resisting the urge to stay up late on Sunday night. As much as I want to get a few more hours of weekend in, it’s usually not a good idea to stay up late and not get enough sleep for Monday. My ideal sleep time is 9 hours, so getting only 6 is a recipe for disaster. Try getting at least 7 hours of sleep on work nights—you’ll be surprised at how much it helps!

Cutting down on binge TV-watching and video games. Don’t get me wrong, I’d LOVE to sit down and watch four episodes of House of Cards in a row, but honestly it’s not worth it. Whenever I use up my entire evening playing video games or watching TV, the time slips by too quickly and I often end up staying up too late. I limit myself to one hour per night.

Make plans during the week. This one is hard for me. The last thing I want to do during the week is add more to my plate, but it really does help give me something to look forward to. It can be a solitary activity (like going to exercise classes or club meetings) or it can be dinner with friends—you choose.

Slow down. As much as I want to get to work, get done, and come home as early as possible, those mornings when I rush myself out of the house and don’t let myself enjoy a good lunch are the worst. Allow yourself even a 15 minute lunch break—away from your workstation—and you’ll be rewarded with less stress and a refreshed mind and body.

What do you do to kick work blues to the curb? I’d love to hear some of your suggestions, tips, and tricks!

Why I Love Writing, and How You Can, Too

I love writing. From a very young age, I’ve enjoyed the simple practice of putting pen (or pencil) to paper and just letting my thoughts flow. The first time I can really remember writing was in third grade, when my teacher would put daily writing prompts up on the board for us to complete. They would usually be something like this (with my answers looking something like this):

“I opened the box, and inside I saw…” 
(a giant, hairy spider)

“My favorite thing is… because…”  
(my dog, Tequila because she likes to snuggle and loves me a lot)

“The door opened, and in walked…” 
(my dad. He just came home from a business trip and brought me a new necklace!)

We always started out the day with about ten minutes to complete our journal entries, and each week our teacher would collect and review our notebooks. This simple activity is something I now believe to be a genius idea. Not only did it promote creativity, but it also made writing an informal event that we all got used to. Plus, when she would review the notebooks, she’d gently correct grammar and spelling and always wrote comments at the end. She connected with us. When my dad came for back to school night, I got to write him a note, and he wrote me one back. It’s one of those memories I will always cherish. Oh, and I still have that notebook.

Writing can help relieve stress, improve mood,
and even physically heal the body.
Image: Shutterstock

When I was in junior high and high school, I mainly wrote for school—both creative and academic pieces. I kept journals on and off (I would love to say that I’m an avid journaler, but I’m really terrible at it). When in college, I wrote poetry and short pieces that really delved deep into my emotional state and helped me reflect on what was happening in my life. When a friend attempted suicide, I wrote about it. When my grandfather died, I wrote about it. When I saw incredible acts of kindness, I wrote about it. When I saw a pretty leaf dancing in the rain, I wrote about it.

The important thing is this: I wrote. And I completely believe that it has helped keep me sane all these years. As I’ve delved deeper into career life, it’s become harder to keep up with personal writing, but whenever I do manage to sit down and write something, it has an incredibly therapeutic effect.

I am a perfectionist by nature, so when I read over my infrequent journal entries, my creative works, and even my third-grade journal, part of me wants to lament over the bad grammar and spelling, the awkwardness of phrasing, the way it just isn't as good as [insert famous writer]. I know that’s an impulse lots of people have—and it’s often what keeps people from writing. But it shouldn’t.

Writing has been linked to a multitude of benefits for both the mind and body. It can promote emotional healing through expression of emotion (rather than bottling it up). You can always talk to paper, even if you can’t talk to a person. It can also improve attitude, especially in people battling potentially terminal diseases like cancer. And attitude, studies have shown, can affect everything from whether you actually get better to how much you enjoy your life.

Writing can also help us remember what we’re thankful for in life. It can get things off our chest before we go to bed for the night—meaning that sleep could be more restful as well. Improved mood, lower stress and depression levels, healing and more have all been linked to expressive writing.

You don’t have to be “good” at writing to love it. You just have to do it.

Gwyneth Paltrow Health Scares: A Good Reminder For Us

People today have plenty of health problems that they know about. But there are plenty more they don’t know about, too. Not to sound cynical, but it’s true. We tend, as a society, to go to the doctor mostly when we’re sick. We assume things are all good until something comes up and gets serious enough to have us worried. And really, that’s probably not a good plan overall.

Gwyneth Paltrow had a stroke scare and suffered a miscarriage.

Image: DFree / Shutterstock.com 

It’s a big part of the reason I (and I assume many of you) try to keep up on eating healthy and exercising regularly. What we put into our bodies and how much physical activity we get are the biggest factors in determining our health. But there are also things under the surface that we can’t necessarily see on our own.

Gwyneth Paltrow recently opened up about her past health problems that have led her to make some major lifestyle changes. The actress, an Academy Award winner, is the mother of two and has always looked slim yet healthy. But after she suffered both a miscarriage and a stroke scare, she discovered she had several health problems.

She was in her London home when she “lost control of her right hand and suffered a blinding pain in her head that was so extreme she thought she was having a stroke.” It turned out to be a combination of a massive migraine and a panic attack, but going to the doctor revealed several other problems.

“I was vitamin-D deficient, I had [anemia], I had thyroid issues, my liver was congested, I had hormonal imbalances and a benign [tumor] on my ovary that had to be removed. I mean, it was crazy,” she said. “I knew it was time for a change.”

Your body is your most priceless possession. Take care of it.
Image from motivationblog.org

It feels like a bit of a wake-up call. If someone who can afford all the doctors in the world, who has infinite access to services to monitor her health, wasn’t aware of all those problems, what must it be like for the rest of us?

Gwyneth’s experience motivated her to adopt an elimination diet, which eliminates all foods that have potentially adverse affects on the body. I’m not saying everyone should do so, but I think there’s an important lesson to take from Gwyneth Paltrow’s story. It’s so important to be aware of and actively take part in our own health—because if we don’t, then we risk letting dangers go unchecked.

You only get one body, and it’s your permanent home. Take care of it.

Can Soda Cause Depression?

Soda and other sugary drinks may contribute to depression risk.
Image: dgirlp via Flickr CC

According to a recent study by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), drinking soda and other sugary drinks may put you at a higher risk for developing depression. What’s more is that if that drink is flavored with artificial sweetener, the risk is even higher. The study, which has been ongoing since 1995, surveyed the drink consumption of over 250,000 people between the ages of 50 and 71.

Participants in the study who drank 4+ sodas per day
were 30% more likely to have developed depression.
Image: Shutterstock

After gathering data on the participants’ drinking habits from 1995 until 1996, researchers waited a decade and then contacted those surveyed again. They asked whether participants had been diagnosed with depression since the year 2000. The findings, which won’t be officially published by the American Academy of Neurology until mid-March, showed that participants who drank four or more cans of soda per day had a 30 percent increased likelihood of developing depression. Those who drank unsweetened coffee for a boost rather than soda were 10 percent less likely to have developed depression.

"Our research suggests that cutting out or down on sweetened diet drinks or replacing them with unsweetened coffee may naturally help lower your depression risk," said Honglei Chen, lead researcher for the study. "More research is needed to confirm these findings, and people with depression should continue to take depression medications prescribed by their doctors."

Unsweetened coffee may lower depression risk.
Image: Christian Scholz via Flickr CC

Aside from the fact that sugar has been linked to obesity (and therefore the hardening of arteries and heart disease), increased “bad” cholesterol, reduced “good” cholesterol, tooth decay, gum disease, hyperactivity, and mood swings—to name a few—this indication that it may also contribute to depression is just one more reason to limit our intake of refined sugar and sweeteners.

While this study is alarming, it should also be taken with a grain of salt. It’s likely that those who were diagnosed with depression were also struggling with other problems as well. Four cans of soda or more per day almost certainly leads to obesity and other health problems, which in turn affect stress levels and brain health. Those who had increased chances for developing depression were drinking sodas in excess and probably weren't the most health conscious about what they put into their bodies.

Don’t feel too guilty about having a soda once in a while. If you normally eat healthy and are aware of what's going into your body, indulging at times is okay. It’s when it becomes a regular, large part of your diet that it becomes a health concern—in more than one way. But I think you already knew that.