Anti Depression Guide

by Emma Young Many people with psychiatric disorders don’t sleep well, for instance being plagued with insomnia (Image: Christopher Bissell / Stone) Read our related editorial: Restless or unrested? TAKE anyone with a psychiatric disorder and the chances are they don’t sleep well. The result of their [...]

By Sharon Jayson, USA TODAY    Enlarge   Bad health habit: Fewer women smoked in 2006 than 1997, but nearly one-third of men 18-29 still do. Young adults today aren’t any healthier than 10 to 15 years ago, and in some cases — obesity, for one — they are significantly less so, says a federal report on the nation’s health [...]

BRby SusanBRBRMost of us learned at a fairly young age that material things don't make us happy.nbsp; They may entertain us for a while but that's about it.nbsp; Money can't buy happiness but a new study indicates that the experience of shopping can actually make us feel better.nbsp; You can read about the study in the article, A href="http://psychcentral.com/news/2009/02/09/buying-process-leads-to-happiness/3990.html"EMSTRONGBuying Process Leads to Happiness/STRONG/EM.BR/AMy husband and I get a lot of enjoyment from going shopping.nbsp; It's good for our relationship because it's something we do together.nbsp; We don't always buy, but we like the process of shopping.nbsp; Going out to dinner and/or a movie is also great for our relationship and in my opinion is a form of self help.nbsp; Purchasing a meal and a movie entertains us and gives us a good feeling.nbsp; It's our way of being nice to ourselves or doing something for our relationship.nbsp; It also gives us something to talk about.....we love discussing the movies.nbsp; BRBRWe're building memories of good times together when we shop, go to dinner or see a movie.nbsp; I'm very glad we are able tonbsp;share thesenbsp;thingsnbsp;now that we are retired.nbsp;nbsp; It was much more difficult to do when our children were young and our finances were stretched to the limit, but we went whenever we could.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;I think it helped our relationship and increased our happiness.nbsp;nbsp; BRBRnbsp;

BRby SusanBRBRI'd like to wish all of our readers a Happy Valentine's Day!nbsp; It doesn't matter if you are in a relationship, in love, having a romance with someone or all alone, this day will affect your level of depression in some way.nbsp;nbsp; Hopefully you feel good today and your level of depression is low.nbsp;nbsp; Mine is nearly non-existent today.nbsp; I wish the same for you.nbsp;BRBRWhen I was young, I used to think Valentine's Day was such a hopeful day.....hoping someone loved me.nbsp;nbsp;That opened up the door for disappointment and depression.nbsp; nbsp;Now, as I've grown older, I focus instead on who I love.nbsp;nbsp;I feel a lot better about Valentine's Daynbsp; becausenbsp;I nbsp;reach out to those I care about and don't focus on whether or not someonenbsp;is reaching out to me.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;It has taken me a lot of years to get to this point but it makes me a lot happier on Valentine's Day. BRBRRelationships aren't always what they are cracked up to be.nbsp; If you aren't in a relationshipnbsp;this Valentine's Day, it's okay.nbsp; If you are in a bad relationship, use this day to think of ways to improve it , or ways to leave it, if necessary.nbsp;nbsp; Whatever your situation is, I hope you will do something to make this day special for you and those you love.BRBRBRBR

BRby SusanBRBRI think two things in my life are making time fly by.nbsp; One.....because I am getting older.....for some reason time just flies by as you age.nbsp;nbsp; Two.....stress and depression cause me tonbsp;waste a lot of time.nbsp;BRBRI can't do a lot about getting older, but I may be able to make some changes in how much time gets away from me because of my depression.nbsp; When I'm depressed, I'm not nearly as active.nbsp;nbsp;My mind is often preoccupiednbsp;with thinking about the same things over and over.nbsp; My body is sluggish and I like to sleep more than usual......or I may not sleep well at all.nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;BRBRDepression can take days away from us if we don't stop it.nbsp; One way that I think works well tonbsp;stop this pattern of losing time is to get a bit of exercise.nbsp; In the middle of winter that's sometimes hard to do.nbsp; However, if I can't get outside and walk, I drag myself to a large store such asnbsp;Lowe's or Walmart and walk around the insidenbsp;perimeter.nbsp; After a few laps, I take the time to browse in the store for fun.nbsp;nbsp;BRBRI've also found that drinkingnbsp;hot green tea helps me to throw off that sluggish feelingnbsp;which often accompanies depression.nbsp; I try to have a cup everyday when I find myself getting sleepy in the afternoon or early evening.nbsp;nbsp;BRBRI work hard trying not to lose to much of each day to needless stress, depression and worry.nbsp; I'm making progressnbsp;on most days.nbsp; Now.....if only there was a way to slow down the aging process, I wouldn't have to wonder, 'Where Does the Time Go?' BRBRnbsp;