Time for this blog to come to an end

I began this blog in October of 2007. I have enjoyed sharing with you the many ways I have discovered to help lift and live with depression, anxiety, and feeling overwhelmed with life. I hope that perhaps some of my posts have helped you in some measure. But like many good things, this blog must now come to an end. Take care...

Winter is coming

Oh, Oh....and that means less sunlight hours which equals the ole seasonal depression, too. I just need to make sure that I get LOTS of sunlight and fresh air. It works wonders. And for indoors I have several of those white light lamps (full spectrum lighting) to give me more natural light in my rooms.

Current Events.....

It is enough to want to make you curl up into a fetal position and suck your thumb !!!…..I am talking about the state of America right now…and…all this insane political stuff that is taking place. I have NEVER in my life seen it as bad as is appears to be right now…so much good, bad, and ugly comments being made with the political candidates. And then the uprising in other countries, lately…..God, please help and save our United States. This turmoil is not good for people who have anxiety problems and depression….hahaha….but I mean it !!!....yes, I know….we must turn to God and have Faith in Him and His Son, Jesus Christ….and I do.

Celebrate !!!

Whenever you have a good day....celebrate it. When you feel happy...celebrate it. When you made a good choice...celebrate it. Celebrate ALL your victories !!!

Good Mood Tonic

That is the name of this liquid herbal extract that I take sometimes to help me through a rough period of time. It is made by Herb Pharm, and contains St. John's Wort, Ashwagandha root, Skullcap flowering herb, and Prickly Ash bark. Wonderful combination that quickly calms and relaxes me.

Hate it !!!

I just hate it when out of no where, and for no particular reason, I suddenly feel so discouraged, down and depressed !! The other day this happened and I could not shake it, so I just phoned my friend up and went over to her house and we watched two movies. Movies generally help me, but for some reason, on that day I needed "company" to watch movies with. IT HELPED...

Beware......

Shredding many years of "important" old tax records and other old papers and receipts, etc....plus...going through old, saved greeting cards and letters, CAN cause melancholy feelings. The shredding was like shredding up parts of my life. I just took a deep breath, said a prayer, and pressed forward.

I am still here...

I hope to get back posting to this blog again, soon.

Returning

I have been ill for many months but I am back and hoping to post on my blogs again.

Are you hanging in there?

Give it all you can.

I wonder where this place is?

Cheer up...

Some days we just gotta do it

When you have several bad days in a row, just take a few hours, or as long as you need to, and do nothing but watch movies (not on TV with those interrupting commercials that just make you crazy).

I like to lay on my bed with my legs elevated and watch movies. I feel that I am totally relaxed then and comfy. Watching movies provides a temporary escape for me so that my mind and emotions can rest.

Ah...the good ole days when life was slower and less involved!

photo courtesy of http://jsmagic.net/goodhome/

Yes…the good ole days….when we didn’t have all the mental stress and worries like we seem to do today. Today’s life style is a real struggle, for sure. At least it is for me.
http://jsmagic.net/goodhome/

Mystery Woman's blog

You can always do as "Mystery Woman" http://mysterywomanslife.blogspot.com/ does (one of my "other" blogs)....mentally change things from the real, to the what if.....just for fun and to get away from the pain of things for awhile....and have a laugh or two.

Change gears

Some days are really hard when I begin to feel the sad, discouraging and overwhelming feelings and thoughts start to creep into my being. I really try not to entertain the thoughts that want to come, because the more I do, the worse they get....and the worse I get. I need to change gears and quickly try and force myself to think of happy things, different things....anything that will divert the onslaught of another depression episode. Even hurriedly changing the activity I am engaged in at the time and doing something totally different, really works.

Imagine.......

.......that you are this child whose face He holds in His hands, and that His eyes are looking into yours with all the tenderness and love in the world.

A unique book

This book, “The Secret”, (by Rhonda Byrne), is a very unique book, indeed. Inside this book, learn what The Secret can do to bring you joy and transform your life.

What is the Secret?...it is the law of attraction! The following paragraphs are taken from the book:

“Everything that’s coming into your life you are attracting into your life. And it’s attracted to you by virtue of the images you’re holding in your mind. It’s what you’re thinking. Whatever is going on in your mind you are attracting to you” (page 4).

“What you are thinking now is creating your future life. You create your life with your thoughts. Because you are always thinking, you are always creating. What you think about the most or focus on the most, is what will appear as your life” (page 16-17).

“The law (of attraction) is simply reflecting and giving back to you exactly what you are focusing on with your thoughts. With this powerful knowledge, you can completely change every circumstance and event in your entire life, by changing the way you think” (page 17).

Click the following link to take you to The Secret website:

http://thesecret.tv/index.html

Retreating to our mental closet

I have a friend who says he goes in his (mental) closet when he has a really bad day with depression. He seeks a quiet place in his home where he can be alone and where he does not have to interact with others for awhile. Here in his “closet”, he can do some reading, or his writings, or just sit and think and analyze and try to work out some solutions to what is bothering him, so that he can come to accept his thoughts and emotions. He says that time seems to be the real cure and then he can go forward again.

Soak up the sun and fresh air

Now as the weather begins slowly to get warmer, take advantage of this and get outdoors and enjoy the fresh air and Mr. Sun’s warmth. It is extremely good therapy.

Finding life worth living, through the example of others

No persons troubles should be minimized, as we all are unique and we all handle things in a different way with our own strengths. We all have seen people who have made the most of their lives even against tremendous odds.

Meet Nick Vujicic. Watch his following videos...he is an inspiration of hope, faith and courage to all of us. He put me to shame with my whining and complaining:

http://www.tangle.com/view_video.php?viewkey=59e9501a8f551df9ff67

http://www.tangle.com/view_video.php?viewkey=9bc6025b51155e26f6ce

Reading therapy...whatever it takes to help us

There are many kinds and types of written material that we can use for reading therapy. Each of us is different with what interests us. But I am sure that we all can find SOMETHING that we enjoy reading...even the comics. I love to read fiction novels.

Here is my list of books that I have read within the last 12 months:

Twilight......by Stephenie Meyer

New Moon.....Stephenie Meyer

Eclipse.......Stephenie Meyer

Breaking Dawn....Stephenie Meyer

Midnight Sun (partial draft).....Stephenie Meyer

Don't Cry Wolf......Clair Poulson
A Train To Potevka.....Mike Ramsdell
The Christmas Shoes…Donna VanLiere
The Christmas Blessing….Donna VanLiere
The Christmas Hope….Donna VanLiere
The Christmas Promise….Donna VanLiere
Escape….Carolyn Jessop

A new year and new determinations

The end of one year and the beginning of a new one seems to bring with it a renewed determination to do better and to try harder.

I hope this is where you are at, in your feelings. I hope that this past Christmas season was good to you and that you felt love and gratitude and know in your heart that you are not alone with your struggles.

There is always someone worse off than we are

No matter how we are feeling on a particular day, there is always someone else that feels a lot worse. Let's try to reach out to that someone else and see if we can help lift that person up a little bit. In the process...we are lifted also.

How are you holding up?

simple gift wrapping...
simple Christmas tree decorating....

I hope you have been able to find something enjoyable to do that is able to lessen the depression blues. And I also hope that you are working hard at making this years Christmas simpler, easier, and less stressful.

I am trying hard to help and encourage a friend to do the above. I think it is working. He seems to be in better mental spirits, lately, and he is having fun and joking. So…it must be helping him.

Tis the season......

The Christmas season with all of its busy-ness and stress can really put us in a tailspin towards depression as we struggle and tend to get overwhelmed with it all. But try to keep Christmas as simple, easy and stress free as you can...it will greatly help.

Some days.......

Be sure to celebrate all your good days and moments

It is important to make a big deal of all the good days and moments that we have. Reward yourself some how, maybe buy a little treat or whatever works for you. By looking for, and recognizing our good moments, we are more conscience of them and will work harder at trying to have those good days. Besides...we sure like the feeling we have when we are up.

Whistle a happy tune

When days are bad and you’re feeling really down...force yourself to whistle or sing a happy tune. Find a song that you like very much and which is catchy and fun, memorize it and whenever you need to give yourself a lift, just whistle or sing it.

Try some midi music:
http://notendur.centrum.is/~sih/midi/

There are also many happy children’s songs that might do the trick for you, so find one of those:
http://bussongs.com/animal_songs.php

Your dog knows

Have you ever noticed how your dog reacts around you when you have blue days? They sense that something is wrong and that you are unhappy. Watch your dog next time and see if she/he will come by you and stay close to you while you are struggling. They are loving and compassionate creatures.

Newly added on Nov. 11:
One day I started to cry and our dog perked up her ears and immediately came over to me, nudged her nose into my hand and layed her head against me. It was almost as if she was letting me know that she was there to comfort and love me.

Write a list

When we are depressed and everything is turned miserably inward, it is hard to feel joy and gratitude about things in our life. That is why it is such good therapy to force ourselves to write a list of all the things that we consider a blessing in our life for which we are truly grateful for. Once you can manage to get started on the list, you will be surprised at how many things you can think of to put on your list.

My new discovery

Within the last month I have made a very important discovery pertaining to my depression.

For months now, I have been doing tons of writing, including beginning a book, and also reading a lot more fiction books. Surprisingly, I have noticed a pattern developing which I certainly hope continues throughout the winter months.

All this writing and reading has hugely helped improve my depression. Generally this time of year I am well into the depression blues and not having any motivation to do anything. Of course, when we are depressed everything seems to bother us and it all turns inward, to ourselves. But all this writing and reading has just accomplished the complete opposite...all my feelings and thoughts have turned outward away from within me.

My writings help me to delve within myself and pull all my feelings and thoughts out from within the depths of me and put them onto paper. Reading helps me escape for awhile into another time and situation, thus providing me with an outlet with which to ponder, enjoy and get lost in, for awhile.

So, the secret is...to find something that you enjoy SO MUCH that it will enable you to bring all your feelings and thoughts out of you and center them on something that can take you away from your pent up emotions.

Try an online depression forum

There are all types of forums online, for all types of things that we might be interested in, for help or to learn from. Forums are safe and private...they are NOT chat rooms. You just post a question and later people answer or comment on your question. The depression forum is made up of other people who suffer from depression. You can even just read the questions and comments from others...you don’t have to post one yourself, if you don’t want to.
Click on the following link to take you to a good depression forum:

http://forums.about.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?nav=messages&webtag=ab-depression

Because I am also an introvert, I have joined an introvert forum which I really love and have learned so very much from. My favorite introvert forum is:
http://hiddengiftsoftheintrovertedchild.com/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=c98c3ed277b925c2539725fcd535ff64&board=5.0

Today....

Have a very good day today...because you KNOW that you have been blessed with family and friends who love and care about you !!!

Stop thinking of self, and go do something for someone else

When we are depressed, all our energy and thoughts are turned inward to our self. If we can muster all our strength to break out of that process and go do something for someone else, then we will be surprised at how much better that little act of kindness for others can help us feel.

Get outside!

I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to get lots of fresh air and sunshine, along with exercise. There is something magic in it all.

Now as our weather is getting cooler, I just love to sit out on our back deck and spend a few hours just reading, in the refreshing air. I have noticed that it really makes a difference in how I feel...and that appears to be...happier.

Forget the blues and have another laugh

Click on the following link to see some funny animal antics on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S_TKqu9pxU

Time for Laugh Therapy

Laughter is very good for what ails us.

Click on the link below to see a funny YouTube movie trailer by that 'movie voice-over guy'.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMngjDMZTWo

Writing therapy

I realize of course that not everyone shares the same abilities and talents….but for me writing has been my life saver. Actually you don’t have to have any special writing ability to write private articles for your eyes only. It is a great release to put down on paper things that bother you; things you have learned and are grateful for; things that you yearn for and admire. I even read once that it is good therapy to write a letter to someone you are angry at and tell them how you feel. Get it all out of your system and then destroy the letter. Try it.

Exercise therapy

We know the value of exercise when it comes to trying to loose weight and improving our health. But exercise can play a major role in helping our depression, also, so that is why I am writing another post about it.

I know that sometimes my depression and anxiety causes me to feel that I do not want to do anything at all, nor do I have the energy to do anything. But I have to really struggle past that and KNOW, really KNOW and understand that doing some form of exercise 3 or more times a week is the best thing for me to feel better. Really...it is no fun to have that black cloud of depression hovering over me all the time. I need some relief and to feel somewhat normal again as much as I can.

So, I push and talk myself into going to the gym and walking on the treadmill for 30 minutes, as many times a week as I can manage it. And it does make me feel better, honest.

Click on the link below to read a good article about depression and exercise:

http://www.ahealthyme.com/topic/exdepression

What is your hobby or something you thoroughly LOVE to do?

....whatever it is, immerse yourself in it; get lost in it; get renewed giddiness with it. Do all you can to use that hobby, activity or interest to help you through your rough days of depression. Don’t feel too guilty if other things do not get done. Just know, and help your family to know and understand, that this is a temporary outlet to help you get through those days of darkness.

Yes, I know that when the bad days come, we generally do not feel like doing ANYTHING AT ALL...that’s why you must choose an activity that will strongly work for you and be like your medicine.

The activities that I LOVE and which help me are: watching movies, and doing my various writings including my 10 blogs. Yikes!...10 blogs? ...yes, I am addicted and also I love knowing that I can help other people through my various kinds of blogs.

I dread this time of year

As we approach fall each year, I start to get nervous and glum. Something begins to work inside of me filling the spaces with the dreaded anticipation of what looms before me in the coming months.

I have more pronounced depression this time of year because I suffer with SAD...Seasonal Affective Disorder.... due to the fact that the daylight hours are all whacky. Through the last several years, I have been collecting my arsenal of ways to handle the increased depression when it comes.

This blog is all about how and what I do, not only in the fall and winter when my depression is at its worst but throughout the whole year. Hey...it works for me and I hope you can find help with these ways also.

Deep breathing therapy

http://www.improving-health-and-energy.com/breathing-your-way-to-health.html

(see my list on the left, of the different types of therapy that I use to help my depression)

A few weeks ago when I went to the doctor, he said that my oxygen levels were a touch lower than what they could be. It all boiled down to the way that I breathe, as I am a shallow breather.

I have known for years that deep breathing exercises is very important for our health…and brain function. The more oxygen to the brain, the better we think and the healthier our brain and other organ systems will be. Closing our eyes and doing some slow deep breathing can also help stress.

The problem is that I don’t always take the time to pay attention to my breathing, just as long as I know that I am still doing it. But I have to try to be more conscious and make myself take deeper breaths. I wonder if that is a habit that a person can adopt...and get better at unconsciously?

Photo therapy

Calming and serene scenery can do magic for what ails us. When beginning a relaxing and de-stressing session, we are instructed to visualize in our minds eye a beautiful, peaceful place that we would love to be at.

Here are a few of my favorite types of scenery that calm and relax me:

Music therapy

Certain music can do wonders for depression and all that goes with it. Personally, I just love the music of Kitaro. For me it is soothing, relaxing and uplifting.

Here are the links to a few of my favorite pieces of his, from his live shows.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ulc51ZOGQk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2FFDDWz3R0&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfVntSicF8Q&NR=1

I found a very helpful website on depression

It is called “The Depression Guide”.
http://members.fortunecity.com/depressionguide/

click on the chart below to enlarge...

"Footprints in the Sand"....very uplifting

To be read and re-read often....

For what it's worth...

...... a YouTube video on depression:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8G19oeJD8Nc

Movies...my life saver

I watch one or more movies each day. I don’t care what others say about watching movies being a waste of time. For me it is my life saver. I can relax, un-stress, totally and fully enjoy, and get thoroughly LOST in a movie. It doesn’t matter what movie it is, I enjoy a lot of types.

I think perhaps the most therapeutic type of movie is a good comedy that makes me laugh till my sides ache. My view point about watching movies as a therapy measure, is that it takes my mind OFF of what is troubling me for awhile so that my mind can relax and calm down and regroup itself. So, movies are for me !

I have started another blog devoted to the movies I have seen. I give the description of each movie and offer my own opinion about it. If you are interested, here is the link to my movie blog:

http://moviesmytherapy.blogspot.com/

Can't I just work through it myself ?

I don’t want to be on any meds for my depression. True, my form of depression is mild compared to other peoples, still it sometimes leaves me not able to function quite like I used to. But I can accept it and deal with it.

I feel the methods I use, explained on this blog, works for me, even though I turn sometimes within myself. I can handle that because I am not a people person anyway and most of the withdrawal/escape happens when I know that I will be in a large group of people. STRANGE HOW THAT DOESN’T BOTHER ME WHEN I SIT IN A MOVIE THEATER FULL OF PEOPLE AND GET LOST IN A FILM !!!

Some of the places/activities where there will be large groups of people, is generally places/activities that appear to no longer interest me like it use to, due to the fact that I am getting older and my interests have changed anyway. So, I choose to just work through my depression episodes by myself, without the aid of meds. By the way, I am also an introvert by nature.