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Encouragement: Ending April with Positive Visualizations With Deep Breathing!

4/27/2018

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“Those who cannot change their minds
cannot change anything.
- George Bernard Shaw -
Irish playwright, critic, polemicist, and political activist
(26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950)


April is a wonderful month, it's spring in full swing. Some people experience depression and anxiety through the winter months and return to happiness in the spring. Others do not get over it, it is a year round illness. This week I want to try to encourage you to practice those techniques we learned about this month and bounce back from stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses. Let's end April with joy!


“When you're finished changing, you're finished.”
-Benjamin Franklin-
(January 17, 1706 – April 17, 1790)


We learned what anxiety is and how to possibly recognize the symptoms. In part 2 of this series we learned about depression – what it is and how to treat it. Of all the ideas we looked at to treat these disorders, in my opinion, it all boils down to one thing – Lifestyle Changes that are positive on your physical and mental health.
Not everything can be cured with positive lifestyle changes, but everything can be helped by them. In other words, if you watch tv for several hours a day...get up and walk instead; if you eat a lot of fast food...try to make better choices, healthier choices; even a couple of positive changes can have a huge impact on your well being.


Don't try to change everything all at once, take baby steps. Start with one small change and work on that until you it becomes habit. Then move on to the next change, Before long you will notice that with each change, you feel better and better.
Change must first take place in our mind. We must want to change and we must have the mindset that we are going to change. Just as George Bernard Shaw stated 'those who cannot change their mind, cannot change anything”. That is a true statement. Until you want to change and set your mind to it, you won't.
But often, if we just head out in the direction of the change we want to make and we experience a slight bit of success, that is all it takes to get the ball rolling on the change mindset. A little encouragement can go a long, long way.
I know this to be true. I was over weight for several years and attempts to lose it were futile...until I changed my whole way of thinking. Once that took place, everything else fell into place and I began losing a lot of weight...a lot.a
Not only will your body thank you for these changes, but your mind will benefit, also.


Any change, even a change for the better,
is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts.
-Arnold Bennett-
British novelist, playwright, critic, and essayist


I challenge you to put some of the ideas in Part 3 into action in your own life. Even if you only put one into action, you will feel more positive. Start with an easy one. Experience a few successes and then see if you aren't ready to conquer anything!
I highly recommend this book:


This is a wonderful book about
depression and anxiety as we grow older.
You should find a copy and read the whole book,
it will be worth it.


Have you read a life changing book recently? Have you changed something in your life and although it was hard, you stayed with it until you were successful? If not, why not? Please share your thoughts. A lot of us are going through these issues and we need help. Your input might make the difference in someone's life.


XOXO
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Book Review: Getting Old Without Getting Anxious - Part 3 of 3 Conclusion

4/20/2018

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Now we understand what depression and anxiety is from the last two blog posts. Now what can we do to protect, avoid, reverse, or control anxiety or depression we age?
There are some preventative things we can do that may even decrease or at least help control anxiety or depression.


Here are a few that are referred to as calming therapies:


1. Tai Chi: combines meditation, yoga, and breathing


2. Proper Breathing: The following is a direct excerpt from the book on an anxiety-reducing breathing technique:
" The following breath is adapted from yogic breathing techniques. This approach involves slow abdominal breathing, with the focus on an elongated exhale.
Sit comfortably with feet flat on the floor and eyes closed.
Exhale completely.
Take a deep, slow breath in through the nose to a count of four
Feel the stomach grow soft and expand with the deep inhalation.
Slowly release the deep breath and exhale very slowly through the mouth. to a count of six. Pull in the stomach to expel all the remaining breath.
Relax and let go, feeling the tension vanish.
Repeat for up to five minutes.
This breath is effective in calming panic and sleeplessness. Patients with phobic disorders can also use it to cope with stressful situations."


3. Biofeedback: Mind-body connection - Typically, attached device to finger connecting them to a machine that measures skin temperature or perspiration. It then produces a signal, like a beep or a light, wen tense teaching the person how to recognize anxiety.


4. Meditation /Prayer: Taking time out of your day to focus on something besides yourself and the world around you can relieve stress and anxiety. Closing your eyes and focusing on breathing, God, or your favorite place (beach, mountains, home) takes your mind away from the things that are creating the stress. It doesn't have to be a long time out, five minutes, 20 minutes, an hour, it doesn't matter....just do it.


5.  Visualization: Visualization is one of the most helpful techniques available to relieve stress and anxiety. You can visualize a special place (a tropical island, a cabin on a mountain top, a hammock under a beautiful oak tree, etc.), a special moment (the birth of your child, your wedding day, etc.) or a dream you have (a future lover, losing weight, purchasing that hot sports car, etc). It is thought by many that if you can visualize something, you can make it happen.


6.  Yoga: Yoga poses and the meditation portion of this technique is relaxing. Your body will thank you for it as well, as your mind. You can do only the poses that you feel comfortable with, as the important thing is to just do something. Also, taking your mind to another time or place helps to relieve stress. Yoga is an excellent activity for all ages as their are so many levels of this technique: Senior Yoga, Chair Yoga, Hot Yoga, Traditional Yoga, Couples Yoga, etc.


7. Accentuate the positive: Breaking the negative thought pattern can be a challenge. Menopause for one thing can make it very hard. If you want to recover from anxiety or depression, you need to learn to accentuate the positive. Think of the cup as half full instead of half empty, if you were able to rise from your bed without help – remember that some people need assistance, if you needed assistance rising from your bed this morning―remember, some people are not able to even get out of bed. There is always someone worse off than you are. Think on the positive!


8. Gratitude: Thankfulness (AKA gratitude) is a game changer no matter what ails you. You at your life and find all the positive and wonderful things about it. Express your gratitude to your family, friends, God, or yourself. Always, always, always be grateful for what you have.


9. Lifestyle Changes:
  1. Walkiing
  2. Exercise
  3. Creativity
  4. Support Groups
  5. Spiritual Practices
  6. Volunteering
  7. Nutrition
  8. Pets
  9. Sleep
  10. Laughter


Accepting the inevitable:
Grow older is something we should hope to do as the alternative is death. However, accepting that death is coming should encourage us to live as much and as long as we can. We can't stop death, but we can stop wasting our lives and we can begin to enjoy every last minute of our lives.
Let's go out on fire!

I can't say this enough:


This is a wonderful book about
depression and anxiety as we grow older.
You should find a copy and read the whole book,
it will be worth it.


Have you ever tried any of the techniques to relieve stress? Did you find anything in this book review that helped you? Do you have any techniques that are not included in this review that you have used and helped you? Please share!
​


XOXO
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Book Review: Getting Old Without Getting Anxious - Part 2 of 3 (Depression)

4/13/2018

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This is a wonderful book about
depression and anxiety as we grow older.
You should find a copy and read the whole book,
it will be worth it.


Many people think that being old means being sad. This leads to depression in the elderly. Being a sad older adult does not have to mean being sad.


In many cultures across the globe, older people are taken care of by the family. They are encouraged to be independent as long as possible. As a result, there are fewer nursing and assisted living facilities (some places actually don't have any) and the elderly live longer and happier. Most of them live independent lives.


In America (and a few other places) the elderly are often considered useless and burdensome to most people. Younger people are often too busy with careers, hobbies, children, etc., to take elderly parents into their homes to live or to help them live on their own as long as possible. As a result, elderly Americans can often look forward to living their “golden” years in nursing or assisted living facilities alone and housed with strangers. Often with people with serious mental decline such as Alzheimers or dementia. Depression is common among America's seniors.


Symptoms of Depression:


  1. Sad or unhappy mood most days
  2. Lack of self-confidence, feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness, etc.
  3. Most days experiences physical symptoms such as:
  • Pain
  • Dizziness
  • Oversleeping
  • Insomnia
  • Low or no energy
  • Poor Appetite
  • Irritable
  • Trouble Concentrating
  • Loss of Interest in hobbies, social activities, etc.


What causes Depression?


  1. Illness – heart, pancreas, lungs, stroke, Parkinson's, Alzheimers
  2. Poor Diet – irregular meals, vitamin deficiencies (B Vitamins, Omega 3, etc.)
  3. Alcohol Sedatives – barbituates, Valium, Restoril to name a few
  4. Chronic Pain
  5. Social Isolation (loneliness)
  6. Genetics – Prone to Depression
  7. Trauma or Stress – traumatic events, stressful events
  8. Medications – Prednisone, Reserpine, Alphamethyl, Bensodiazepines (Valium, Xanax, Ativan)


Treatment Options:


  1. Psychotherapy – Depressed people often get locked into a habit of negative thoughts and simply need help to break this habit. Singular and/or group therapy is helpful.
  2. Medicine – SSRIs (Selective Serotonin reuptake inhibitors) Celexa, Lexapro, Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Effexor *mild) are a few, Other options: Eluvil, Totranil, Pumelor (Strollger), Herbal: St John's Wort, SAM-e.
  3. Electroshock Therapy (ECT)
  4. Aerobic Exercise


Remember, depression is not supposed to be automatic when you become a certain age. It can be caused from a number of things. Sometimes it is just the way we are looking at growing older. If we are ill or hurt, we still don't need to accept depression. Depression hinders your recovery from illness, injuries, and surgeries. Stay positive and if you can't do it by yourself, seek help.


I experienced a deep depression in my fifties. My children were leaving home and making a life for themselves. During this same time, I was going through menopause and that contributed to my problems. After several years, I found my way out of it. I had to make changes to my life. I had to change my thinking. Fortunately, I was able to find my own way out. If I had not been able to heal myself, I would have sought therapy.


If you are experiencing depression and you can't seem to get out of it, do not delay in getting outside help. Seek assistance from your medical doctor as soon as you can. Find out what is causing the depression and deal with it. Your life is too precious to waste feeling sad.


Have you ever been so depressed that you sought out help? Did you visit a therapist? If you recovered from your depression, what helped you do so? Do you have a friend or family member who suffers from depression? Have you tried to help them? Please share any tips or lessons you learned when helping someone else or helping yourself get out of the depression cycle.


XOXO
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Book Review: Getting Old Without Getting Anxious - Peter V. Rabins, M.D. (Depression and Anxiety as we get older.) Part 1 of 3

4/6/2018

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When Dr. Peter Rabins gives retirement seminars, he always asks seniors the same question, "What are you most worried about?" They always give the same answer - they are worried about losing their money, their health, and their minds.

This book deals with anxiety and depression with people who are over fifty years old. Many seniors end up on medication for depression and/or anxiety when lifestyle changes may be a better treatment. Some seniors will need medications, but Dr. Rabins believes that drugs are sometimes the first line of treatment instead of the last and advocates for looking at the whole picture.

Read this review of his book that I have broken down into three parts. Hopefully, this will help someone. Then get the book and read it completely, it is excellent reading if you want to keep healthy mentally.

This is a wonderful book about
depression and anxiety as we grow older.
You should find a copy and read the whole book,
it will be worth it.

Part 1: Anxiety
Anxiety over the three most common areas of worry for seniors (loss of money, health, and mind) can and does most of the time bring on depression. There is a normal level of anxiety that is not a problem, but when it affects how a person functions it is a serious problem and must be dealt with.

Three warning signs that symptoms may signal an anxiety disorder:

1. Persistent - Unable to let go after a reasonable length of time, feelings thoughts, dreams, etc., of a life event. The event may have been a death in their family, a violent act, or a trauma. They can't move on and persist in re-living the negative event to the point where it affects their normal activities. Persistent negative thoughts.

2. Excessive - The person becomes overwhelmed by everyday activities. Worries of car crashes, plane crashes, food poisoning, etc., prevents the person from enjoying a vacation or trip to visit family. Excessive worry.

3. Life Altering - Negative changes in a person's everyday functioning. For example: loves to sew, but suddenly stops and may even pack sewing materials for storage; loves to cook, then suddenly only eats junk or quick food; normally sleeps well through the night, then suddenly begins to wake up several times or wakes up in the middle of the night and can't get back to sleep. Life altering changes.

These symptoms may not be related to this syndrome, but maybe another illness. However, these symptoms should not be ignored.

Anxiety disorders can affect anyone at any age, but they increase in probability as we get older. This disorder is often (with a few exceptions) lifelong in duration.

There are specific tests to evaluate and diagnose this disorder. Tests range from asking a few questions, blood tests, electrocardiograms, to various scales such as the Hamilton Scale, Beck Anxiety Inventory Scale, and other self rated scales.

Testing is important because some other medical conditions can appear to be anxiety when in fact it is a thyroid problem, hypoglycemia, heart problems, just to name a few. Great care needs to be used when diagnosing this disorder. If left untreated it can lead to serious mental decline. However, if treated for this disorder when it is actually your thyroid can be equally dangerous.

What causes anxiety disorders as we age? Many things contribute. For example a devastating life event early in life can cause anxiety to occur to the disorder level later in life. Some of those events could be a rape, a soldier's PTSD, emotional abuse as a child, etc. While the person may recover quickly, as they age, those feelings may reappear - especially if the person is fearful of death and knows age is bringing them closer to it.

The fear of death can increase as we age. While some people are able to accept this inevitable event, others fear it, and attempt to find ways to ignore it or run from it. Age brings the reality of death close to us.
Other studies indicate that anxiety sufferers have an over sensitivity of the brain receptor;s for the chemical neurotransmitters norepinephrine ( a form of adrenaline), serotonin, and GABA (gamma aminobutyric acid).
This is a complicated disorder to diagnose and treat, but is essential to our well-being as we get older. Mental decline is a devastating experience. This book is about avoiding, preventing, and repairing mental decline as we age.

Mental decline is not a sure thing as we get older. There are things that can be done to stop it or prevent it from happening in the first place.

(We will review Part 2: Depression and Part 3: Conclusions in the next two book review posts.)

Do you know of someone over 50 whose demonstrates some of these symptoms? Do you have some of these symptoms? Has this brief review of Part 1 helped you in any way? Please share your thoughts.
​

XOXO
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    My mission​

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    On fire for your own life!
    ❤ Sheryl ❤

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