Everyday Life Part 1

At a Glance: Ways to Cope from Day to Day

Tap into the powers of thought

Positive thinking and visualization of success are among the many ways to take charge of your mental and physical health. After all, the body and mind are linked, so the more you can learn to harness that power, the more influence you'll have over your general well-being.

Pay attention to your eating habits

Eating small meals throughout the day, starting with a healthy breakfast, will help stabilize your blood sugar, thereby regulating levels of serotonin and dopamine. Limiting the use of sugar, salt, stimulants (such as coffee, tea, and cigarettes), and depressants (like alcohol) can help as well. You might also wish to consider dietary supplements such as vitamin B-complex, vitamin C, and omega-3 oil. Talk to your doctor before making any significant dietary changes.

Drink plenty of water

In addition to regulation of physiological systems and toxin removal, water supports moods, energy, and overall cognitive performance. Have at least six 8-ounce glasses of water each day, and don't wait until you're thirsty before drinking water, since thirst can be the first sign of dehydration.

Get adequate sleep

Sleep is the body's time to repair and rejuvenate itself. Lack of sleep can lead to increased anxiety and irritability, poor concentration, alterations in mood, decreased ability to cope with stressors, and a depressed immune system. Individuals vary in the number of hours of sleep required to function well; however, if you're unsure of your body's needs, strive to get the recommended 8 hours of sleep per night (for adults).

Exercise on a regular basis

The benefits of exercise are too vast to cover in an overview, but they can help by releasing mood-elevating chemicals (endorphins), enhancing sleep, and increasing overall health. If you're not in shape, consult a doctor before beginning an exercise routine, and be careful not to try to make up all the "lost time" in one week--start slowly! If you cringe at the thought of hitting the gym or athletic courts, or you don't have enough energy to do so right now, try adding little things into your daily life--park farther away from entrances, take the stairs instead of the elevator, sweep the floors in your house, etc.

Expose yourself to sufficient light sources

Everyone is encouraged to get natural sunlight to help lift mood, but this is especially important for people with a condition called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). With this condition, your mood correlates heavily with your amount of light exposure. To alleviate the symptoms, try opening windows, spending more time outdoors, and investing in a specially manufactured light box.

Reduce stress wherever possible

Humans were not designed to cope with the chronic stresses inherent in present day life--add to that the stress produced from the illness itself, and you have a recipe for disaster. Stress has been linked to illnesses including cancer, heart disease, lung conditions, and suicide. Practicing stress reduction techniques on a regular basis can help keep this nemesis under control, thereby improving the quality of your life.

Establish daily routines

When an illness interferes with life, it can be easy to lose your sense of control over your environment. Not only can the creation of a daily schedule help prevent you from slipping into the vicious cycle of unproductive behaviors, but it can also help restore a sense of control and comfort in a disorder that can create chaos at times. The routine can be as simple as taking a shower when you first wake up or "closing" your days by straightening up your bedroom and filling out your mood log.

Be proactive

Take steps to make your days more pleasant. This could be accomplished by increasing your interactions with people whose company you enjoy, engaging in pleasurable activities each day, working on your self-esteem, and not being afraid to ask for what you want.

Alternatives to Counting Sheep:

Sleeping Tips

1) Go to bed at a regular time each night.

2) Use the bed mainly for sleeping--not for work,

reading, television, etc.

3) Avoid long naps during the day. However, a

power nap (15-30 minutes) can be helpful in

getting a second wind.

4) Eat foods rich in the protein "tryptophan," which

boosts serotonin levels in the body. Sleepy

time foods include pasta, turkey, bananas,

cottage cheese, warm milk, herbal chamomile

tea, etc. Avoid caffeine or other

stimulant consumption close to bed time.

5) Avoid going to bed on a full stomach. Instead,

choose small snacks before bedtime, which cut

any hunger that could prove distracting as you

settle in.

6) Exercise daily, but don't exercise too close to

bed time.

7) Take some time to wind down from your day.

Perhaps engage in meditation or soak in a

relaxing bubble bath (perhaps with a drop of

lavendar oil for extra relaxation).

8) Establish a bedtime routine that acts as a

signal for your body that it's time to sleep.

9) Clear your mind by jotting down anything you

wish to remember for the next day. The

overactive mind will resist shutting down for the

night.

10) Prepare your bedroom environment so that it's

relatively uncluttered, dark, quiet, and on the

cooler side of comfortable temperatures (since

your body sleeps best when it isn't overheating).

11) Toss your sheets in the dryer for a warm fluffy

feel as you're drifting off.

12) If you find you can't fall asleep, try doing a light

task (for example, reading a chapter from a

book) before attempting to snooze again.

Focus On: T'ai Chi

Emphasizing patience and relaxation, t'ai chi is a gentle form of the martial arts, although it looks more like a ballet (since it was developed in order to disguise martial art movements at a time when such practices were banned in China). Slow, flowing movements, once mastered, have the ability to put individuals in a trance-like state. The emphasis is on energy, balance, posture, and a sense of inner calmness throughout the body.

Focus On: Yoga

Even though yoga is a way of life, it is best known as a form of physical exercise, since it aims to strengthen the body as well as the mind. Yoga postures are assumed for the purpose of stretching the body,

re-aligning the systems, reducing tension, and increasing alertness. You'll oftentimes see yoga being performed on mats placed on the ground, however, yoga can be adapted for use in smaller areas, even during bus rides.

Breathing Exercises

The Basic Breath

Close your eyes. Try to calm your mind. Inhale slowly and deeply, taking the air in through your nose and expanding your "belly" with air(as opposed to your pushing your shoulders up as you breathe). Hold your breath for a moment, then, slowly release the breath through your mouth, again taking your time. Repeat. The exhalation should last approximately twice as long as the inhalation.

In With the Good, Out With the Bad

As you take deep breaths, imagine you are inhaling positive energy and exhaling the negative. It may even help to "gather" the positive energy as you breathe by raising your arms to the sides and up above your head, then upon release of the air, "push" that energy down toward your belly as you exhale.

Recite Poetry or Use "Mantras"

The production of sound is dependent upon breath, therefore the use of poetry or "mantras" (repeated words or phrases, for example, "aum") can help regulate the pace and rhythm of the breath. It might be best to find poetry with a clear meter so that the effect is similar to mantras--creating hypnotic alpha states in the brain.

Meditative Visualizations

Whether individually created or guided imagery, visualizations can take the mind to peaceful places. It's a chance to access sensations such as touch, sound, vision, etc., without actually physically using them. The following are some examples:

- Inner Smile: Give yourself permission to smile--internally, if you prefer. Feel the power of this gesture, how it radiates throughout your entire body. Does it feel like a tingling calmness spreading throughout your being? Does it feel more like light eminating from within?

- The Wishing Well: Reach into your pocket and take out a coin of your choice. Move it around in your hand. What are it's size, weight, and texture like? What color is it, and is it a traditional coin, or a special coin? Walk over to a fountain you see in the distance and take in the sights and sounds of the dripping water. Make a wish, and toss your coin into the fountain for good luck, paying attention to the ensuing ripples. Spend some time at the fountain throwing as many coins in as you desire.

- Take a Vacation: Let your mind take a trip to a peaceful location--this can be anything from a tourist destination to an imaginary garden. Engage all of your senses while on this journey and encourage a peaceful mindset. After all, there are no airline flights or long ticket lines that we need to encounter during this vacation.

Man's Best Friend: The Benefits of Pets

Although no official study has demonstrated

WHY pets add to our well-being, ask anyone with a furry friend if his or her life would be complete without a pet, and you'll get an almost definite "Absolutely not!"

With their friendly personalities and unconditional love, pets help us by lowering our blood pressure and cholesterol, building self-esteem, enhancing social skills, and reducing loneliness, anxiety, and depression.

If you don't have the option of owning a pet, consider the following:

- visiting or working in a pet store or animal

shelter

- offering a dog walking/washing service to

neighbors

- participating in pet therapy sessions, either

as an individual or in a group

A Day at the Home Spa

Who said pampering yourself was limited to expensive trips to fancy spas?! Everyone could use a little TLC from time to time, so grab a friend or spend some quiet time alone trying the following, affordable suggestions:

1) Wake up early, grab a blanket for warmth, and go out and watch the

sunrise

2) Give yourself a boost by splashing some cool water on your face or

using a spray bottle for light mist

3) Pick out music that moves your soul and/or relaxes you. You may

wish to focus all your attention for a short while on the music as a

form of meditation, or you may prefer to keep it on in the

background.

4) Indulge in a home-made smoothie. Find a recipe or create your

own. Bananas, pineapple, strawberries, milk, sugar, and ice seem

to be popular ingredients.

5) Go for a morning walk. If you're really feeling energetic, try adding

some other fun exercises to it. Just be sure you've warmed up

adequately and have the "OK" from your physician to exercise.

6) Apply a facial mask--either one purchased from a store or

homemade. (Just be sure you trust the source if you're using a

make-it-yourself recipe.) After exfoliation, you could also try

cryotherapy, in which ice (placed in a bag) is gently passed over

the skin to plump up and tone the area.

7) Tap into your creativity by dabbling in the arts such as drawing,

painting, dancing, creating music, writing poetry, etc.

8) Even if you haven't had any formal training, try your hand at yoga or

t'ai chi. You could rent a video, check out a book from the library,

or track down a website that includes descriptions of the meditative

practices, safety precautions, and exercises to try.

9) Massage out tension throughout your body (feet, hands, shoulders,

back, etc.). Also try working acupressure points for stress relief--

the center of the palm (for about 5 seconds and repeat

several times) or the area one finger's width below the crease of

your wrist and on the side of your pinky finger (for approximately a

minute or until you feel calm).

10) Enjoy different types of tactile stimulation activities. For example,

you could fill a bowl with beans, then swirl your hand around in

them, sifting the beans through your fingers. Or, you could try

something like a pebble foot massage in which you cover the

bottom of a shallow bowl or tub with round pebbles or marbles, pour

in a cup of tolerably hot water--adding salt and maybe even

essential oils to the mix. (Peppermint is recommended for this

activity.) Then, place your feet on the pebbles and roll them

around, gently exerting pressure on your soles to get the massage

effect.

11) Engage in a whole body relaxation exercise, like the following:

Starting from your head and gradually working your way down to

your toes, individually tense up a muscle group, hold for a few

seconds, then relax. Don't forget to take slow, deep breaths during
this process.

12) Treat yourself to a manicure or pedicure.

13) Order in food for the night. No reason why you should have to

cook!

14) Soak in a bubble bath. If you'd like, place 5-10 drops of essential

oils in the bath (not directly on your skin) for aromatherapy--

jasmine, lavender, and ylang ylang all target depression. You can

even enhance the experience by lighting some candles in the room,

playing some classical or meditative music in the backround,

sipping on hot chocolate, or reading an interesting book.

15) Pop some popcorn and hop in bed for an evening of entertainment.

Get Creative: The Therapeutic Arts

The arts such as music, dance, visual arts, and poetry, can be a wonderful means of addressing, further exploring, and expressing emotions and conflict in your life. In the therapeutic setting, there is no competition regarding how proficient one is at any of these skills; instead, they may foster a sense of community, thereby emphasizing social interactions (when performed in a group setting, in particular).

Whether as part of a program or individually, the arts can enlighten the person, send them into a meditative state, elevate their mood, give them a chance to problem solve, and provide interesting and peaceful distractions.

If you're interested in formal programs, you could search for groups in your area that touch upon the creative therapies. (In fact, many inpatient hospital programs have already implemented such programs as part of treatment.) Or, you could immerse yourself in the arts on your own. While this doesn't encourage socialization, it certainly gives you time to reflect and express your thoughts and emotions.

Oftentimes, so much emphasis is placed on issues that pertain to long term recovery, that we forget to examine what can be done in the meantime to help make the days seem not only tolerable, but even enjoyable. This is Part 1 of a two-part section on living with depression on a day to day basis. The focus in this part is on general coping tips, creative expression, and stress reduction.

Candle Lighting

There's something magical about a candle--so intriguing, that its flames are included as part of many ceremonies, whether religious or secular.

How can you integrate candle lighting rituals into your meditative practices? Consider the following:

- Light a candle while saying a prayer. (The power of prayer, of affirmations, applies whether or not the prayer has a religious basis to it.)

- Light a variety of colored candles to symbolize different meanings. Check out "A Week of Candle Power!" for some ideas.

- Light a candle with a few clicks of the button on the internet, including a message for the world to see. Gratefulness.org takes you through this meaningful process. Click here to light your candle online.

Caution: Never leave lit candles unattended.

The Art of Meditation

With the hectic pace of life, sometimes we just need to slow down

and smell the roses. Meditation is a helpful practice used across cultures not only to treat illness, but as a preventative measure to avoid illness by improving general health as well. Once you find methods of stress reduction that work for you, strive to incorporate them as part of your daily routine.

Click here for an overview of global meditative practices and an audio tour:

"A World of Meditation: Contemplative practices from many faiths"