May 2017 - Mental Health Awareness Month

Good Afternoon everyone - We're dealing with Mental Health this month in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month.  The image above gives all Readers a visual of what a person who is battling mental health issues may feel like.  They may feel as if their mind is "out of order".  Depending upon the mental health issue they may be facing, different aspects of both the body and the life of the individual may be affected in different ways.

In our last session here on the Blog, we discussed keeping Journals and Diaries as a way to document your daily activities, thoughts and emotions.  We also talked about placing a specific focus on the material in your Diary by inserting tabs labeled with the particular topic that fits the direction you'd like to focus on with regard to your mental health, i.e., emotional state, mental state, physical state, environment, etc.  You can do the same with a Journal.  It is your choice as to which tool works best for you ~ A Journal or a Diary or both!  Now is a good point to get your Journal or Diary out to take notes...

Decorative Journals serve two purposes:

1)  To brighten your mood; and

2)  To document the important activities in your life.

Diary

A Diary will help you in a very detailed way.

You can label sections of it, or you can add embellishments in it to represent your daily moods.  You can also add pictures within to illustrate your daily activities.  More importantly, you can honestly write about your feelings and emotions and lock your Diary if you want to keep your Diary private.

One of the first topics we're going to look at today is "Depression".  There are many people who are depressed and do not realize it.  Let us take a look at some of the symptoms of depression...

Symptoms of depression may include:

• A depressed mood most of the day (feeling sad, empty, hopeless, or on the verge of tears);
• Loss of interest or pleasure in activities you once enjoyed;
• Weight loss (even when not on a diet) or experiencing weight gain. Also decreases or increases in appetite;
• Difficulty sleeping or being overly tired;
• Restlessness or feeling slowed down;
• Fatigue or a loss of energy;
• Feeling worthless or guilty;
• A lack of concentration or difficulty with decision making; and
• Thoughts of death or suicide.

Major depressive disorder is a serious medical illness

affecting an estimated 15 million American adults.

Ten (10) Most Common Symptoms of Depression

Millions of people suffer with depression, and it does come in a number of forms. The most common, clinical depression, causes general sadness, a loss of interest in activities that were once fun and pleasurable, and oftentimes, causes thoughts of suicide.

There are lots of symptoms that doctors use to diagnose the condition, but if you’ve been feeling sad, or you’re worried about a loved one, you can look at these symptoms and come to a conclusion.  Take a look at these top 10 most common symptoms of depression and see if your condition, or a friend’s condition, is worth speaking to a doctor about. Generally if you have even just a few of these symptoms, it’s possible that you are suffering from this psychological condition...

1.  Fatigue

Though fatigue is a symptom caused by lots of other conditions, when combined with other depression symptoms, fatigue is a tell-tale sign that you have the condition.

Please Note:  People with depression will experience emotional changes that can impact their physical health, making them feel overall more tired and unable to move as quickly.  Their thought processes will slow down and they will have very little energy to get up and about, and get things done like they used to.

2.  Sleep problems

There are two ways that depression might affect your sleep. First of all, you might find it difficult to become relaxed enough to fall asleep. You may find that you can put your head down on a pillow, but have to wait hours until you fall asleep, as a result of your low feelings distracting you.

Please Note:  Some people, however, will sleep for more than 12 hours each day and still feel depressed or tired, as a result of having no emotional interest in doing something with their day.

3.  General irritability

Instead of seeming like a person is down or sad, a person with depression might just be short tempered and irritable. This is particularly common in men, who get angry about their low feelings and can easily lash out.

Please Note:  As a result of constantly feeling down or depressed, men often get angry and this can be particularly noticeable to close friends and family – so watch out for sadness combined with anger.

4.  An inability to concentrate

As a result of having a lack of interest in daily activities, a person can also begin to find it difficult to concentrate.  This is known as psychomotor retardation, meaning that the brain is unable to process information as quickly as it used to, making it practically impossible to complete tasks that would usually be considered easy or at least, achievable.

Please Note:  Depression takes over the whole brain with depressing thoughts, meaning that anything other than thoughts of sadness are unable to receive the focus they need from the brain.

5. Anxiety

Thought anxiety is actually a condition reported by many and diagnosed by itself, it can come hand in hand with depression.  Research has shown that there are strong connections between depression and anxiety disorders.

Please Note:  It’s now known that men are more likely to experience depression whereas women are far more likely to experience anxiety.

Please make your Notes in your Journal and/or Diary on these first five Symptoms of Depression, and check in on our next Blog post for the next five Symptoms of Depression . . .

We're taking a short Coffee Break

~ See you back here in a few minutes with your Journals/Diaries ~

Peace, Love & Light,

 René

©Copyright - René Allen - MAY 2017 - All Rights Reserved