Category Archives: Solution Focused Strategies

Information, Solution Focused Strategies

Acknowledge Your Depression

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Depression is an illness and needs to be acknowledged as such. It is not a reason to be ashamed. The reason so many people fail to seek help for their depression is that they are ashamed. Unfortunately, this is one of the feelings associated with depression anyway and makes the illness difficult to acknowledge.

If you are constantly feeling particularly low, well-meaning friends might tell you to “snap out of it” or even start to get irritated by your mood. Your depression will feed off this negativity and you start to wonder why you can’t just “snap out of it”. You then start to feel that there’s something wrong with you because it should be so easy and it’s just “not right” that you feel so bad all the time. Well, it’s not right and there is something wrong with you. You have a medical condition and you deserve treatment in the same way as any other patient. If you had a cold for six months would you ignore it and hope it would pass? No, you would dose yourself up with anything you could find and maybe see a doctor to find out if there’s an underlying reason for it to last so long.

Depression is sadness that lasts too long. Everyone is sad at some point in their lives but depression is more than that. It is a feeling that you can’t bring yourself up from the bottom. In the end you give up trying. People start to avoid you. You feel worse. You need to find external help to treat the problem in the same way as you would if you had a long-lasting cold. You could try herbal remedies – there are some in your pharmacy – or you could see your doctor. There may be an underlying physical cause for your depression.

If your doctor cannot help you they may refer you for counselling. Don’t be embarrassed to go for counselling but do make sure you are comfortable with your counsellor. If not, try another one. Counselling should not be discounted because you don’t feel comfortable with your first choice of practitioner. In everyday life you will naturally find that you get on with some people and clash with others. You cannot afford to have a personality clash with your counsellor. On the other hand you must be sure that it is a personality clash and not just that you don’t agree with what they are saying. A general rule is to go with your instincts. If you like the person and seemed to get on well in the first couple of sessions then stick with it because they might just have touched on the root cause of your problem.

In some cases, acknowledging depression may be difficult because you have lived with it so long that you don’t know whether it is depression or not. If you have grown up with depression it is possible not to realise that you are actually depressed because you have no concept of how normal people should feel. You may feel angry all the time or you may feel like going to the middle of an empty field and simply screaming. You may feel anxious, have trouble sleeping or even sleep too much. You may think that your family would be better off without you (and actually believe that to be true) and may have considered running away or suicide. You may worry about death all the time (yours or someone else’s) and not let yourself be happy just in case…… (or even “I must enjoy this now in case………..”). If you are feeling any or all of the above then you need to consider talking to someone. Even if it is just a friend or family member to start with, they may be able to advise you and encourage you to seek professional help.

Once you have acknowledged that you have depression please remember that it is a medical condition and can be cured. You don’t have to feel this way for ever. Nobody actually thinks of you the way you think they do. Talk to someone. Seek and accept help and you will find that there is a different way of seeing life.

If you need help for depression you can go here to get help now!

Information, Resources, Solution Focused Strategies

Panic Attacks

“It was a Godsend that I discovered your program just this past Friday night (luck). I had some panic attacks last November. The ‘theme’ was survival – everybody’s survival. During the panic attacks I thought the end of the world had come. It didn’t, and with therapy and some Valium at critical times I got back to ‘normal’ again, or so I thought.

Then, a couple of months ago, I started having some panic attacks again. I became consumed just by the fear of having another attack. I was concerned just trying to manage my crazy thoughts.  On my lunch break several weeks ago I had a crazy attack – fear I’d have a heart attack, this was my final moment, etc. I chomped down 2 Valiums, and left work early to go home and flop down on my bed.

The next week I caught a cold. This helped take me out of my head and into my body, albeit with a cold. I got over the cold, kept telling myself I was getting better in every way. Then last Friday night in bed I was ‘arguing with somebody’ in my head about something, and I felt a panic attack coming over me. I got out of bed quick, chomped 1/2 Valium, and turned on my computer to Google ‘panic attacks’ as I had done before. Somehow, I reached a site that linked to yours. I read the testimonials and ordered the program. Just reading it changed things for me! I thought I was through with attacks, but if another one came, I could deal with it.

Sunday night, the panic attacks started coming on. I diffused it just about immediately! I feel like a new man.

My appetite has returned. I notice things in my environment. I am optimistic again. My mind is no longer driving me crazy. I appreciate just being alive and this life I have been given. I can deal with whatever comes my way. And, I haven’t had a Valium since Friday’s panic attacks.”

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“Whatever I did, it was always with me. I really suffered a lot. I tried several other methods and ways without any success, and then I read ‘Panic Away’. Of course I was a bit skeptical at first, because I tried whatever not. But still I decided to try it. I just can`t express how much this unique technique has helped me from the very beginning. It`s incredible really. The technique is very simple and maybe that`s why it is so effective. Very soon my panic attacks went away and my background anxiety decreased drastically. Now I am free from attacks and happy to come back to my previous self.  I can laugh again…and all this thanks to Joe and this brilliant method.”

*****What are these people talking about?  Go there now!

“I have suffered with panic attacks for 15 years and all the counseling, medication and books I have purchased within the 15 years just masked the fear, never eliminated it for good. But now…”

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“My worst panic attacks were happening in the car – always in the morning on the way to work at one particular place… But, thanks to the program… I am now free of those attacks.”

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Funny, you know, all the “medical professionals” that I been to over the years, alternate and mainstream, not one of them suggested your approach to the problem yet it is so simple!” “I cannot believe what an impact your program has made on my life.”

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“Over the last 5 years I had begun to have increasingly severe anxiety that I am going to faint. Not anymore!”

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“I have suffered with anxiety/panic attacks for over seven years off and on… After three days of reading Panic Away I could hardly believe I was beginning to feel better. After a month I went from having one anxiety attack every day to one in the last month”

What are these people talking about?  Come here now and find out!

 

Information, Solution Focused Strategies

Food and Feelings

There is a lot of research that links the food we eat to our various feelings. In this case we are talking about both ‘good’ and ‘bad’ feelings. Most people are not concerned about any linkages between food and any good feelings that are triggered when we eat. We are all concerned about the ‘bad’ feelings! Food and feelings – both the good and the bad!

So what are some of those bad feelings? Guilt, shame, helplessness, anxiety, disappointment, confusion, loneliness, depression, sadness… all are implicated and linked to certain foods.

Karen Konig, author of The Food and Feelings Workbook, understands this issue. In her book she gives an extraordinary, powerful connection exists between feeling and feeding that, if damaged, may lead to one relying on food for emotional support, rather than seeking authentic happiness.

Here is an excerpt of what she says.

“Why won’t bad feelings simply go away?”

“The truth is, there’s actually no such thing as a “bad” feeling. By labeling a feeling negatively, what you mean is that it causes you to feel badly (that is, not pleasurably), or that experiencing it makes you feel as if you’re a bad person. Feelings are feelings, just as colors are colors and musical notes are musical notes (and food is food). Think of affects as clouds that have no intrinsic value; whether you welcome them or not is situation-dependent. A cloud blocks out the sun on a scorcher of a day in the middle of a ten-mile hike and you’re overjoyed for the respite. A cloud comes along while you’re sunbathing and you’re momentarily bummed out. How you feel about the clouds is relative, all in your perspective. The same is true of emotions.

If you’re wondering why feelings that generate discomfort-what you might call “bad” feelings-won’t go and stay away, that’s another question entirely and makes me wonder what you believe about emotions. If you believe you’re always supposed to feel good, then feeling bad is sure to upset your apple cart. You’re not supposed to feel good all the time; it’s simply not possible. You-we all-have a range of emotions that come and go and that’s the way life is supposed to work. If your colleague blames you for something that’s not your fault, you’ll probably feel misunderstood. If you’ve been ignoring your brother for months, you may feel ashamed or guilty; if your best friend steals your girlfriend, you’ll likely feel betrayed; if you didn’t get the job you thought was a shoo-in, there’s a good chance you’ll feel disappointed. In all of these instances, you’ll feel badly. But these feelings do eventually go away. Of course, the problem is that they’ll come back again in another circumstance because that’s the way the emotional ball bounces. We only brush away our feelings if we don’t understand their function and value their purpose-if we forget that they exist, for the most part, to instruct us.

This unique workbook on food and feelings takes on the seven emotions that plague problem eaters — guilt, shame, helplessness, anxiety, disappointment, confusion, and loneliness — and shows readers how to embrace and learn from their feelings. Written with honesty and humor, the food and feelings book explains how to identify and label a specific emotion, the function of that emotion, and why the emotion drives food and eating problems.

Each chapter of The Food and Feelings Workbook has two sets of exercises: experiential exercises that relate to emotions and eating, and questionnaires that provoke thinking about and understanding feelings and their purpose. Supplemental pages help readers identify emotions and chart emotional development.

The final part of the Food and Feelings Workbook focuses on strategies for disconnecting feeling from food, discovering emotional triggers, and using one’s feelings to get what one wants out of life.

       

Information, Solution Focused Strategies

Natural Anxiety Treatment

Anxiety is a state of intense fear, uncertainty, uneasiness, or apprehension due to anticipation of an imagined or real threatening future event. Anxiety can be both physically and psychologically devastating to the Anxiety sufferer’s life. Anxiety is often sub-categorized according to the focus of the perceived threat. There is social anxiety, separation anxiety, dating anxiety, performance anxiety, math anxiety, etc. Stress and anxiety often go hand in hand and can result in anxiety depression as the individual feels powerless to receive any anxiety help.

There are a variety of natural anxiety treatment to consider in overcoming anxiety. For some, anxiety medications can give relief. Other’s prefer not to use any of the anti-anxiety drugs and opt for more natural cures for anxiety management. These may include herbs for anxiety, acupuncture anxiety treatments, anxiety vitamins, aromatherapy for anxiety relief, even hypnosis has has proved beneficial overcoming anxiety.

This article discusses the perhaps little known amino acid L-Theanine as a natural remedy for anxiety relief.

L-Theanine is a unique free form amino acid found only in the tea plant and in the mushrooms Xerocomus badius and certain species of genus Camellia, C. japonica and C. sasanqua. Often drinkers of green tea report a feeling of calmness they feel after ingesting a cup or two even though green tea has roughly half the caffeine of coffee. This is due to the high L-Theanine content.

In addition to reducing anxiety symptoms, studies have shown L-Theanine may be effective in promoting concentration, supporting the immune system, improving learning performance, lowering blood pressure, increasing formation of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA, and increasing brain dopamine levels among other positive benefits with no known downside.

Studies in cooperation with Taiyo Kagaku Co., The University of Shizuoka, and The Family Planning Institute of Japan have shown that women taking 200 mg L-Theanine daily have lower incidence of PMS symptoms. These symptoms include physical, mental, and social symptoms. Overall, a significant alleviation of PMS symptoms by L-Theanine was observed.

While still under investigation, L-Theanine appears to have a role in the formation of the inhibitory neurotransmitter Gamma Amino Butyric Acid (GABA). GABA blocks release of the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin, playing a key role in the relaxation effect.

Everyone knows the effects stress and anxiety can have on an individual’s physical state of well-being. Fascinating neurochemistry research has revealed that given a shot of GABA essentially turned back the clocks in the brains of older monkeys, whose brain function briefly operated at levels normally seen in monkeys less than half their age.

GABA, or gamma-amino butyric acid, is a neurotransmitter chemical that is essential for optimizing how brain cells transmit messages to each other and acts to put a damper on unwanted brain signaling activity. Although GABA’s age-related decline has not been documented in humans, a host of studies in mammals, including other primates, suggests that a similar process is at work in people.

Monkeys ages 26 and 32 — considered old age for monkeys — that got GABA directly delivered to their neurons responded to visual patterns, such as flashing vertical and horizontal lines, in much the same way as monkeys aged 7 to 9 years old did.

Without GABA delivery, the monkeys’ aged brains had more difficulty firing neurons that specifically gauge various aspects of depth perception, motion and color. Instead, older monkeys have more random firings that make it difficult to observe visual nuances. In younger monkeys, GABA had no effect since their brains already had optimal GABA functioning.

L-Theanine is considered to be safe based on its historical use as a component of tea and on favorable toxicology studies. Tea is the most consumed beverage worldwide after water, and has been consumed for thousands of years by billions of people. It is estimated that a heavy tea drinker (6-8 cups daily) will consume between 200 to 400 mg of L-Theanine daily.

While dosage for depression and anxiety disorder remain individual, it is recommended to take 100 to 200 mg 1 to 3 times daily for anxiety relief. Based on the results of clinical studies, it has been established that L-Theanine is effective in single dosages in the range of 50-200 mg. It is suggested that subjects with higher levels of anxiety take a dose at the higher end of the effective range (100 – 200 mg) for overcoming anxiety.

[amazon_image id=”B0015DYJDA” link=”true” target=”_blank” size=”medium” ]The 10 Best-Ever Anxiety Management Techniques: Understanding How Your Brain Makes You Anxious and What You Can Do to Change It[/amazon_image]

[amazon_image id=”B0006U6IMI” link=”true” target=”_blank” size=”medium” ]NOW Foods True Calm Amino Relaxer, 90 Capsules[/amazon_image]

Information, Solution Focused Strategies

Signs & Symptoms of Depression

[amazon_image id=”B003HS4UDA” link=”true” target=”_blank” size=”medium” ]Is it Weird in Here or is it Just Me? A Real-time and First-hand Account of Depression for Families, Friends and Carers[/amazon_image]

What are the signs and symptoms of depression?   People with depressive illnesses do not all experience the same symptoms. The severity, frequency, and duration of symptoms vary depending on the individual and his or her particular illness.

Signs and symptoms of depression include:

  • Persistent sad, anxious, or “empty” feelings
  • Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism
  • Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness
  • Irritability, restlessness Loss of interest in activities or hobbies once pleasurable, including sex
  • Fatigue and decreased energy
  • Difficulty concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions Insomnia, early-morning wakefulness, or excessive sleeping
  • Overeating, or appetite loss
  • Thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts
  • Aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems that do not ease even with treatment.

If you have quite a few of the following signs and symptoms of depression, you should consider getting professional help:

  • You can’t sleep, you sleep too much, you feel you have to sleep during the day, or even if you wake up… you can’t pull yourself out of bed
  • You can’t concentrate and focus or you find that previously easy tasks very difficult to do now
  • You feel out of control, hopeless and helpless
  • You can’t control your circular, negative and persisting thoughts, no matter how much you try
  • You have excessively lost or gained weight because you have lost your appetite or you can’t stop eating
  • You are much more frustrated, irritable, short-tempered, angry or aggressive than usual
  • You are using drugs, over eating or consuming more alcohol than normal or engaging in other very reckless and dangerous behavior
  • You have thoughts that things never go the way you want them to and that life is not worth living

Look out for more posting on Signs and Symptoms of Depression specifically in regards to solutions and treatment.

[amazon_image id=”0738213888″ link=”true” target=”_blank” size=”medium” ]The Depression Cure: The 6-Step Program to Beat Depression without Drugs[/amazon_image]

[amazon_image id=”0316043419″ link=”true” target=”_blank” size=”medium” ]Undoing Depression: What Therapy Doesn’t Teach You and Medication Can’t Give You[/amazon_image]

Solution Focused Strategies

Panic Attack?

Is Any Of This Experience Familiar To You?

  • Maybe you found yourself in the hospital’s ER because you thought you were having a heart attack only to be told later it was anxiety?
  • Do you ever fear you might stop breathing because your chest feels tight and your breathing erratic?
  • When you drive do you fear the idea of getting stuck in traffic, on a bridge or at red lights?
  • Do you ever feel nervous and afraid you might lose control or go insane?
  • Have you struggled with anxious thoughts that will not stop?
  • Do you ever feel uncomfortable in enclosed spaces such as supermarkets, cinemas, public transport or even sitting at the hair      dressers?
  • Are you nervous and on edge in normal situations that never bothered you before?


Do You Feel Any Of The Following Bodily Sensations?

  • Dizzy spells leading to panic
  • Tightness in throat and chest- shortness of breath
  • Racing heart with tingle sensations
  • Hot flushes followed by waves of anxiety
  • Obsessive worries and unwanted thoughts
  • Not feeling connected to what is going on around you
  • Overwhelming fear that the anxiety will push you over the edge?
  • There is one key factor that makes the difference between those who fully eliminate panic attacks from their lives and those who do not. The key ingredient is not medication, lifestyle changes, or  relaxation exercises. It is when the individual no longer fears the thought of having a panic attack..
  • This may seem like a simplified and obvious observation but give it careful consideration. The one thing that has you searching for a solution to anxiety and panic attacks this very moment is the fear of having another one.
  • The first time a person experiences a panic attack it can feel like their world is falling down around them. Nowhere feels safe as the anxiety becomes like a stalker lurking in the background… The stalker? A panic attack!
  • When this happens people begin to either avoid situations that make them anxious or they medicate themselves to the point where they are numb to the fear. I am sure you will agree neither of the above is a satisfactory solution.

There is only one program “Panic Away” that gives you the ability to immediately stop fearing another panic attack. It is very simple yet amazingly effective. Here is how it works:

  • After a person experiences a panic attack for the first time, the experience can be so impacting that it leaves a strong imprint on the persons psyche. This mental imprint generates a cycle or loop of anxiety whereby the person develops an unhealthy fear of having another panic attack. People can spend anywhere from months to years caught in this repetitive cycle of anxiety embodied in the fear of a panic attack.

For more information on “Panic Away“, go here!