How to Beat Depression and to prevent it from Coming Back

The diagnosis “depression”, while it may sound terrible to the one suffering from this mental disorder in the first instance, actually has lost much of its scariness over the past decades due to much better means to beat depression than available in the past.

In addition, the causes of depression are also known in much more detail leading to an increased likelihood to find further new treatments to beat depression within the next years. The first line of treatment for depression sufferers is without doubt the use of anti-depressants prescribed by a medical practitioner, usually combined with some kind of talk therapy by a psychotherapist. In cases of mild depression the use of alternative methods to beat depression, such as herbal remedies (in particular St. John’s wort) may be indicated.

Apart of those treatment options, which are more or less driven by the patient’s doctor, there are many supportive measures a depressed patient can and should actively use in order to increase his chances to beat depression and to prevent it from coming back once he has been successfully treated.Among the most important patient-driven activities that can help to beat depression are a healthy diet and sports. It has been shown over and over again that a proper nutritional mix of fruits and vegetables, fish, milk products and meat has a profound positive effect on the depressed patient (apart of generally increasing ones health). Vitamin- and mineral supplements may also be added to such a healthy diet.

It is also well known that activities such as brisk walking, jogging or any other kind of sports, if pursued in reasonable quantities, are very helpful. Another important step to be taken that helps to beat depression is to mingle with other people such as family members and friends as much as possible. It is commonly very hard for any depressed patient to do this especially during acute phases of depression, since having no real interest in or even an aversion for meeting people is one of the common symptoms of depression.

However, if a patient can push himself (or can be pushed by a caring friend) to meet people and to enjoy himself (as much as possible under the given circumstances) much can be gained. Getting lots of sleep and the possibility to relax and to avoid stress at work and at home are further important stepping stones on the way to beat depression. Especially the strong positive correlation of stress to depression and many other diseases has been repeatedly shown. While stress avoidance in itself is a good means to beat depression further support can be provided by special relaxation techniques and meditation.

Finally, another important contributor to furthering the chances to successfully beat depression is to increase the self-confidence of the depressed patient, since this mood disorder often is connected to a weak self-confidence and even self-hate. Concluding, there are many ways to beat depression in addition to depression medication and talk therapy. A combination of all of the mentioned activities will significantly improve the chances to beat depression and to prevent it from coming back.

To check out what possibilities exist to beat depression and to prevent it visit http://www.beatdepression.org/, your information portal on depression.

10 tips to combat depression

10 tips to reduce depression

Depression can be crippling, devastating. It can cause a person to withdraw from everyone he loves and stop doing activities that he once enjoyed. It can cause a deep despair and social isolation that is overwhelming. Victims of depression encounter memory problems, sleep disruption or a need to sleep excessively, a sense of hopelessness and an inability to join the rest of the world. Depression afflicts an estimated 19 million Americans, and they cant just snap out of it.Although there are ways to ease some symptoms of depression, sometimes medication therapy is needed for a person to fully enjoy a life without depression. However, there are some free tips that you can try if you have the blues.

1. Talk to SomeoneMarriage counselors, church patriarchs, school counselors, and life coaches can be very helpful. If you do not feel comfortable speaking with a counselor, talk to a close friend or write in a journal.

2. Start an Exercise ProgramSome daily exercise can really boost your mood and energy. Aerobic exercise will raise your heart rate, boost your metabolism, and allow the body to naturally release mood enhancing endorphins.

3. Eat Fresh FoodStart a garden. Raise some chickens (for the eggs). Buy organic products? Eat plenty of fiber (fruits and vegetables) in order to cleanse your body from toxins and preservatives and junk from processed foods. Make sure that you consume colorful fruits and vegetables. When you are healthy, you feel more vibrant and full of energy!

4. Avoid SugarSugar can cause serious problems, especially if your depression is combined with anxiety. Sugar can increase your anxiety, give you a let down when you come down off of a sugar high and it can hinder your immune system, making you more susceptible to illness. Frequent illnesses can contribute to depression.

5. Avoid CaffeineCaffeine brings you up - then drops you like a rock. Like sugar, it will also contribute to your anxiety and depression. Try drinking at least 8 glasses of water everyday.

6. Avoid NicotineNicotine is a stimulant so it will help me when I am depressed, right? No. It acts in the body much like caffeine. It can make you feel better for a short while, but in the long run, will only increase your depression. The stimulant in nicotine can increase your anxiety. Long term smoking will cause more upper respiratory health conditions and more free radicals in the body, causing the immune system to be weak, allowing for feelings of depression. Some people also feel depressed because they cannot quit smoking.

7. Try MeditationMeditation can do wonders for alieving feelings of depression. There are various forms of meditation from conscious breathing to guided meditation to creative imagery. Find a form that works for you and practice. The focus and peace does wonders for a troubled spirit.

8. Get Enough SleepYou don't want to get too much sleep, but having a sleep deficiency can also bring on anxiety. Try to get about 8 hours of good sleep every night.

9. Use More LightSitting or working in the dark will add to your depression. Natural light is better than artificial light too. So open the windows and shutters and replace small lights and light bulbs with bigger and brighter ones.

10. Get a Horse-Having a pet can substantially reduce your depression and anxiety. Just the act of stroking an animal can lower your blood pressure and calm you. If you have allergies, you can check out certain breeds of dogs, such as Chihuahuas that do not seem to irritate and incite allergic reactions.

Spencer Hunt is a wellness consultant who has used glyconutritionals to help clients with Alzheimers, diabetes, Lupus, or to just have more energy http://www.ifoundhealth.com. He has even worked with people with cancers such as Kidney (Renal Cell) Cancer, Endometrial Cancer, Breast Cancer, and Melanomas.

Presuppositions of NLP(Neuro Linguistic Programming)

1. Behind every behavior there is a positive intention. The person doing a behavior has a positive intention at a deep structure level. When we are changing unwanted behaviors or habits, and moving toward healing, it is necessary to find the deep structure or original intention behind the behavior. We then create new and better choices that preserve the positive intention.

2. The map is not the territory. People respond to their map or interpretation of reality, not to reality itself. NLP is about understanding and changing maps, which in turn can change perceptions of reality.

3. Anything can be accomplished when the task is broken down into small enough chunks. The goal is "chunked" into pieces that are a manageable size for the individual or system.

4. There is no such thing as failure, only feedback.Everything is an learning opportunity to find out what works and what doesn't work. It is important to separate behavior from identity.

5. People already have all the resources they need.NLP teaches how to access these resources at appropriate times and places.

6. Every behavior is useful in some context.

7. If one person can do something, other people can learn from that person's success. NLP models excellence. It is possible to discover the components and strategies needed to achieve a particular result and to teach it to anyone else.

8. The messenger never rests until the message is delivered.When there is a symptom or communication, it is important to pay attention.

9. The meaning of your communication is the response you get.Communication creates an experience in the listener or reader. The result is the response we elicit. That response may not necessarily match what we intended to communicate.

10. Communication is redundant.We are always sending messages in all three major sensory modalities. NLP checks for congruence in these messages.

11. Choice is better than no choice.The element in a system with the most flexibility has the most control.

12. People always make the best choice available to them at the time.Often there are better choices. NLP discovers more effective choices and how to create more useful or desirable actions and beliefs.

13. If what you are doing isn't working, do anything else. A definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results.

Neuro Linguistic Programming = Results!! NLP works!

Neuro-Linguistic Programming teaches methods to model human excellence in any form. It is a system that studies the natural processes great achievers consistently use to produce exceptional outcomes.
With NLP, you can learn to positively influence your career, your business and personal relationships, as well as your feelings about yourself. NLP Practitioner Training will give you technology for excellence that you can use for personal growth, share with others to help them fulfill their potential, and guide your professional life to maximum effectiveness.
NLP Skills - Personal Growth
Clarify your vague goals into solid outcomes.
Learn to manage your emotional states, allowing you to be your own best self.
Realize new, better choices for yourself.
Learn human thought processes and specific patterns to improve learning, making decisions, and responding to criticism.
Resolve internal conflicts that limit your possibilities and sabotage your success.
Increase your personal charisma.

NLP Skills - Professional Growth
Create highly motivated teams.
Bypass resistance to your ideas.
Reach more satisfying agreements with others, creating win-win situations every time.
Handle intense situations smoothly.
Easily deal with difficult people.
Prevent misunderstandings with precise communications skills.
The powerful processes learned in Practitioner Training provide tools to ensure results. Learning successful deep structure thought patterns will give you the skills to easily create rapid and long-lasting change in yourself and others.

Wealth and Happiness

Happiness is a personal journey but when you watch television you would think the good life is a new car, skinny body, or winning the lottery. If you were to look at surveys, most Americans say more money would make them happier. But what if you were to look inside at what really gives you joy?You may ask yourself... what really makes me feel good inside?
Is it what the American Dream promises? Individual wealth? Does money buy happiness? Some of you would most likely say yes. Some would assume there is a connection between more wealth and feeling happy, an assumption that many scholars have called the "cycle of work and spend"-working more to buy more. According to one Gallup Poll, four in five people earning more than $75,000 a year say they would like to be richer.But does being richer really bring about permanent changes in your overall level of happiness? Does it really bring you the consistent level of joy we all so desperately attempt to achieve.

Does being well off make for well being? Rich people to a certain extent are happier, especially in poor countries such as India where being well off enhances the sense of well being. But if you were to take a look in the "richer" societies, more money doesn't necessarily mean more happiness or well being. More money often results in the law of diminishing returns.David Lykken observes in his own studies of happiness, "People who go to work in their overalls and on the bus are just as happy, on the average, as those in suits who drive to work in their own Mercedes". So whats the end result of all of this? Since the 1950's we have become twice as rich as a nation and no happier. The divorce rate has doubled, the teen suicide rate has more than doubled, and teens increasingly are troubled with depression.Social Psychologist

David Myersthe calls this the American paradox. He says "More than ever, we at the end of the last century were finding ourselves with big houses and broken homes, high incomes and low morale, secured rights and diminished civility. We were excelling at making a living but too often failing at making a life. We celebrated our prosperity but yearned for purpose. We cherished our freedoms but longed for connection. In an age of plenty, we were feeling spiritual hunger."So what can we do on an individual level? If being surrounded by the trappings of wealth, or lack thereof, ultimately does not make us feel happy then what will? Those things that make for a genuinely good life such as close relationships, showing gratitude and feeling appreciation for what we already have achieved in life is a good start. If material wealth is not the most important ingredient for a happy life, what is? Research has offered the following three suggestions:

1. Positive Characteristics - People who are optimistic, kind, forgiving, and grateful tend to have an abundance of happy experiences and happy lives.

2. Being in the Flow - Work and leisure activities that engage an individuals skill tend to lead a happier life. The area that lies between stress and the apathy of being bored, is a zone in which people experience being in the flow... an optimal state of mind in which, absorbed in an activity, they lose consciousness of self and time.

3. Close Relationships - We all have a deep need to belong. Those individuals who are supported by intimate friendships or a committed relationship are much likelier to declare themselves "very happy."Ultimately, if you want to be happy, then recognize that happiness is a product of the way you think and behave and not your finances. Choosing to focus on what you desire in life while at the same time being grateful and appreciating what you already have is a good start. We are the captains of our ship. We write the book that is our life. Focus to make it happen.