Black cohosh has been my secret weapon in eliminating my debilitating hot flashes which were waking me up 8 or 9 times a night not to mention random flashes during the day.
AND it provided an extra bonus I wasn’t expecting… my hormonal mood swings and panic attacks have completely disappeared. After 3 weeks I find myself peaceful inside and able to handle even difficult circumstances.

Try it!

Do you ever get “stuck in a funk” when it comes to
maintaining your energy and zest for your family, job,
exercise or even just being with yourself ?

No matter how passionate you might be about your life, you
may find yourself dragging once in a while and if you
don’t make an effort to address it right away you could
wake up one day and realize 6 months has gone by
and your still stuck!

So how do you keep your attitude fresh and uplifted
over time?

I have 3 new ideas to share with you.

1. The first is very basic SLEEP. For many mood disorder sufferers this can become a question of which came first the extreme mood swings or the nocturnal lifestyle but it is very, very (should I ad another very to make my point) important to get enough sleep every single day! 6 hours or less a night of good uninterrupted sleep is a prescription for psycho behavior, 7 hours is mentally functional (by the bare minimum of standards) but always feeling or complaining of being tired, 8 hours is really good for most people especially if you are in bed by 10:00pm and 9 hours is excellent for most people who are already emotionally compromised, experience adrenal fatigue or have extreme responsibility or burdens in their life.

Before you say I’m nuts give it a try. You will wake up energized, accomplish tasks easier and more efficiently and your family and friends will start talking to you again AND most importantly you will be better equipped to implement ideas 2 & 3.

2. Become a non-conformist and enjoy it! Do whatever it takes to break out of habitual behaviors. If the words “I never” do that or “I always” do this are part of your everyday vocabulary it’s time for something drastic. As long as it ‘s not illegal (or at least don’t get caught) do something out of character for you. This can be as simple as not responding to emails for a couple of days or not returning phone calls if you are “always” a hyper-responsive person or arriving early to work and appointments if you “never” seem to get anywhere on time. If you are someone who is a care taking martyr to the very core of your existence you may try not being available to everybody who asks you for a favor. Let your self worth come from self love instead of the outside approval of others you feel when you are addressing others needs over your own. This is especially important for people who tend toward depression.

3. Take a brain break. Develop a daily practice, 5-10 minutes a day is plenty, that is devoted to consciously resting your brain. If you experience anxiety or stress you know what it feels like to always have your mind thinking, worrying or stressing. For others if they randomly check in with their thoughts they realize they have been having an argument in their head for the last 10 minutes with their spouse or boss while they were driving (which is especially confusing for the poor spouse or boss who doesn’t even know there is a problem).

It is sometimes extremely difficult for mood disorder sufferers to be alone with their thoughts. You may find yourself with a song you can’t get out of your head or not be able to eat a meal at home without the television blasting or reading a book.

Treat your mind like a little child who is trying to keep it’s mommy or daddy happy but has no idea or the skills to do so. You need to soothe the child and acknowledge achievements. And most importantly you must give your child a nap or else it gets cranky and makes everybody around it miserable.

Do this by sitting quietly for 10 minutes each day with no agenda. It doesn’t matter if its in your car or in your home. Eyes open or closed is up to you. Morning, afternoon or evening are equally effective. This has to be a conscious practice. When thoughts come up, interrupt them and then go back to your 10 minute break.

Practice, practice, practice living outside the box and see how happy your mind becomes.

Watch this 12 minute video and listen to how the oldest holocaust survivor in the world maintains a happy attitude everyday of her life. She will be 107 this month. What an inspiration!



Check out this video by weatherman Flip Spiceland  to learn why:

http://video.about.com/mentalhealth/Weather-Moods.htm

What is heartbreak depression?

Lots of things can cause heartbreak. Some people might have had a romantic relationship that ended before they were ready. Others might have strong feelings for someone who doesn’t feel the same way. Or maybe a person feels sad or angry when a close friend ends or abandons the friendship.

Although the causes may be different, the feeling of loss is the same — whether it’s the loss of something real or the loss of something you only hoped for. People describe heartbreak as a feeling of heaviness, emptiness, and sadness.

How Can I Deal With How I Feel?

Most people will tell you you’ll get over it or you’ll meet someone else, but when it’s happening to you, it can feel like no one else in the world has ever felt the same way. If you’re experiencing these feelings, there are things you can do to lessen the pain.

Here are some tips that might help:

• Share your feelings. Some people find that sharing their feelings with someone they trust — someone who recognizes what they’re going through — helps them feel better. That could mean talking over all the things you feel, even having a good cry on the shoulder of a comforting friend or family member. Others find they heal better if they hang out and do the things they normally enjoy, like seeing a movie or going to a concert, to take their minds off the hurt. If you feel like someone can’t relate to what you’re going through or is dismissive of your feelings, find someone more sympathetic to talk to. (OK, we know that sharing feelings can be tough for guys, but you don’t necessarily have to tell the football team or your wrestling coach what you’re going through. Talk with a friend or family member, a teacher, or counselor. It might make you more comfortable if you find a female family member or friend, like an older sister or a neighbor, to talk to.)
• Remember what’s good about you. This one is really important. Sometimes people with broken hearts start to blame themselves for what’s happened. They may be really down on themselves, exaggerating their faults as though they did something to deserve the unhappiness they’re experiencing. If you find this happening to you, nip it in the bud! Remind yourself of your good qualities, and if you can’t think of them because your broken heart is clouding your view, get your friends to remind you.
• Take good care of yourself. A broken heart can be very stressful so don’t let the rest of your body get broken too. Get lots of sleep, eat healthy foods, and exercise regularly to minimize stress and depression and give your self-esteem a boost.
• Don’t be afraid to cry. Going through a break-up can be really tough, and getting some of those raw emotions out can be a big help. We know this is another tough one for guys, but there’s no shame in crying now and then. No one has to see you do it — you don’t have to start blubbering in class or at soccer practice or anything. Just a find a place where you can be alone, like crying into your pillow at night or in the shower when you’re getting ready for the day.
• Do the things you normally enjoy. Whether it’s seeing a movie or going to a concert, do something fun to take your mind off the negative feelings for a while.
• Keep yourself busy. Sometimes this is difficult when you’re coping with sadness and grief, but it really helps. This is a great time to redecorate your room or try a new hobby. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t think about what happened — working things through in our minds is all part of the healing process — it just means you should focus on other things too.
• Give yourself time. It takes time for sadness to go away. Almost everyone thinks they won’t feel normal again, but the human spirit is amazing — and the heartbreak almost always heals after a while. But how long will that take? That depends on what caused your heartbreak, how you deal with loss, and how quickly you tend to bounce back from things. Getting over a break-up can take a couple of days to many weeks — and sometimes even months.

Some people feel that nothing will make them happy again and resort to alcohol or drugs. Others feel angry and want to hurt themselves or someone else. People who drink, do drugs, or cut themselves to escape from the reality of a loss may think they are numbing their pain, but the feeling is only temporary. They’re not really dealing with the pain, only masking it, which makes all their feelings build up inside and prolongs the sadness.

Sometimes the sadness is so deep — or lasts so long — that a person may need some extra support. For someone who isn’t starting to feel better after a few weeks or who continues to feel depressed, talking to a counselor or therapist can be very helpful.

So be patient with yourself, and let the healing begin.

Many times you may think because someone is beautiful or successful or talented that they don’t have any problems. It may seem like you are the only one who can feel so down in the dumps that you can’t even get the energy to get out of bed or smile at your child. Those feelings of isolation, comparison and even resentment are not part of your personality they are a side effect of depression.

Ashley Judd has shared the same experiences you have as someone who has suffered a depressive episode. Her depression turned into a love affair with sleep and an obsession to keep things clean. She was able to put on a mask that she exhibited to the world that  presented her  as a totally together woman. Have any of you had to do that?

Last February Ashley checked herself into a treatment program in Texas after a her sisters (Naomi Judd) food addiction counselor approached her. Ashley shared in Glamour magazine (July 2010) that at that moment she felt for the first time someone was validating the emotional pain that she felt. After completing treatment Ashley has been publicly vocal about her depression and her recovery in order to help others take steps to overcome their own obstacles.

Kudos!

Is your diet contributing to your mood swings? FREE e-book 3 Worst Mood Escalating Foods will help you find out.

Richard Davidson, Ph.D., was posed an interesting question and subsequent challenge by the revered Dalai Lama when he made the observation that our Western culture put all of energy on studying imbalances of the mind like alzheimers, depression and anxiety instead of studying the componenets of a healthy mind and trying to mimic those characteristics.

And thats exactly the work that’s being done at the Center for Investigating Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin under the direction of Dr. Davidson. The mission statement of the Center is “to scientifically determine how healthy qualities of the mind develop and to investigate interventions to cultivate those qualities in children and adults.”

This is exactly the perspective we have to take if we are going to cure depression and anxiety.

Kudos to Dr. Richardson and the Dalai Lama.

In May 2010, the Dalai Lama traveled to Wisconsin for the grand opening of the Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin, where some of Dr. Davidson’s research will be conducted. Dr. Davidson had been inspired by his holiness the Dalai Lama many years ago when the Dalai Lama posed an interesting question of him. The Dalai Lama had noticed that our Western culture put a lot of emphasis on studying diseases of the mind, like anxiety and depression. The Dalai Lama asked Dr. Davidson what does our Western science say about a healthy mind, and what are the characteristics of a person with a healthy mind. Dr. Davidson didn’t have an answer.

Everybody has fears.

You may fear losing your job, your home, your way of life. You may even be a little afraid of the dark or nervous when confronted with a spider. Fear is just nature’s way of warding us from danger, telling us to flee from things we are subconsciously afraid of. Yet in some cases, fear becomes something more – a phobia.

There is a difference between general fear and a clinical phobia. The difference is usually how extreme the reaction to the object of the fear or phobia is. If, for example, when you see a snake, you feel uncomfortable and your heart races a little, you are afraid of the snake. This is a normal reaction based on survival instincts. If, however, you see a snake and want to scream or run away, you begin to sweat or tremble or experience other symptoms of anxiety, then you have a phobia.

Sometimes, a phobia can become so pronounced the person cannot even say what it is they are afraid of – the word alone is enough to bring on a physical reaction of terror. Thousands of people refuse to even come in to contact with the object of their phobia if they can avoid it, such as refusing to fly on aircraft if they have a fear of flying. Phobias are an extreme, natural overreaction to everyday things, events and circumstances.

Phobias are primarily dealt with using exposure therapy, where a person forces themselves to ‘confront’ their fear. This can involve placing themselves in the same room as a snake, or boarding an aircraft. While terrifying, this kind of therapy is hugely effective, and phobias can be managed once and for all.

I Can Do It

Do you need a little motivation to jump start your emotional energy out of a funk of depression? Sometimes events in our lives leave us feeling a little down. Our mood swings from feeling like life is good to life could be better. Here are five tips to help you remedy a minor depression.

1. Own a pet. It is amazing how far a little unconditional love goes to making you feel better about life. Pets need you. Pets rely on you. Taking care of something keeps you from wallowing in self pity.
2. Work Out. Did you know something as simple as walking for 30 minutes each day can help relieve stress and anxiety? Increasing your cardio fitness does wonders to improve your mood.
3. Sleep. A lack of sleep may actually be one of the triggers to feeling the funk of depression.  Try to get to bed around the same time each night. Create a night time routine that prepares your body for relaxation. Make your bedroom environment a calm place for you to be in.
4. Volunteer. Making a commitment to helping others really puts your life in perspective. Keeping yourself active in the community also keeps you engaged socially. Being around other people shifts your focus from yourself. Volunteering with others opens up resources for you to discover new problem solving skills.
5. Acknowledge the Source. Is there a particular reason you are feeling depressed? Perhaps your work is creating a lot of stress in your life. Perhaps you are in a relationship that is making you feel anxious. Evaluating a situation, removing yourself from it, if only temporarily, and finding a solution will often times lead to improving your mood. If the solution seems greater than you can handle please seek help.

Remember, everyone feels a little depressed every once in awhile. The feeling is part of life. These five tips are meant to inspire you to lift that funk of a minor depression. If you feel your level of depression inhibits your ability to function in life, please seek medical advice.

Depression Self Help

“I am depressed.” Have you ever said these words? Have you heard someone say these words? What exactly does that mean? Let’s take a moment to explore what depression is and can it be cured with self help methods.

What is depression?

According to the website Medline Plus, a site by National Institutes of Health, depression is “feeling sad, blue, unhappy, miserable, or down in the dumps.” This is the “depression” that most of us experience periodically. I like to refer to this as the funk of depression.

NIH goes on to define “True clinical depression is a mood disorder in which feelings of sadness, loss, anger, or frustration interfere with everyday life for an extended period of time.” Here at Mood Swings Remedy, I strongly encourage you to seek medical advice if you think you would define your depression this way.

If you are just in a period of feeling “blah” and are looking for inspiration to pick yourself up, it is my hope that this article and the Mood Swings Remedy website will be a source for your depression self help guide.

What causes depression?

According to WebMD it is not that easy to define. Just as we are all unique individuals, the causes of depression are unique too.  Depression can be genetically inherited, as in-it runs in the family. It can be triggered by medication, for example during or after surgery. As we all know certain events in our lives can leads us to feel depressed, like the feeling we experience when a loved one dies.

Self Help

Let’s accept that a general feeling of melancholy is normal. You should allow yourself to experience the mood. Then before you start to wallow in self pity seek a solution to lift your spirits.

The first step is to identify what triggered the feeling of depression.

Second, understand why you reacted the way you did.

Third, accept that this is the way life goes. By this, I mean, you can only change what you can only change.

Do not let negative self talk take over. There is no need to dwell on past failures and disappointments. Do not create a negative self image.

Instead, engage in positive self talk. Take a moment to focus on your accomplishments and things that make you feel proud of yourself. Create a positive self image.

Our moods do swing as we live our lives. The remedy for depression is to help our self. We can take charge of our lives. We can live a rich and rewarding life.