Month: August 2015

  • Signs and Symptoms of Depression

    Depression – Signs and Symptoms

    How do you know when you’re just having a hard time and are stressed out, or if it’s something more serious? When is it clinical depression? While a doctor is the only one who can make a qualified diagnosis, there are some signs and symptoms of depression that can signal your need to see a doctor. Here are some of those signs and symptoms.

    Morning Blues

    According to medical sources, feeling particularly depressed in the morning is a sign that you may have depression. Feeling sad all day is also part of the depression, but the morning blues – perhaps making you just want to stay in or go back to bed – are particularly likely to be connected with depression.

    Anger

    Many people don’t realize that recent research points to a connection between anger and depression. Blowing up and yelling at people without being able to control it may signify depression.

    Irritability

    Slightly different from anger, irritability is more about feeling snappish or easily frustrated and/or annoyed than angry blow-ups. Irritability connected to depression may make you feel really on edge all the time.

    Overwhelm

    Do you find yourself wanting to give up because things seem like they’re just too much? Do you say, “I just can’t take anymore,” often? Depression can make you feel overwhelmed and over-stressed even when your schedule is not terribly demanding. Even a simple request for you to do something may send you over the edge and make you feel super-stressed.

    Feeling Inadequate

    People with depression may constantly compare themselves to others. As noted above, a not-too-demanding schedule may seem overwhelming to a depressed person, thus making the depressed person feel inadequate that he/she can’t handle a schedule that others seem to handle fine. This sets up a cycle of feeling inadequate.

    Insomnia or Excessive Sleepiness

    Ironically, depression can cause some people to lose sleep, while it makes others want to sleep all the time (hypersomnia).

    Lack of Interest

    Are you just not interested in any outside activities? Are things you once looked forward to just burdensome things you have to trudge through and get done? This may mean you have depression.

    Changes in Weight

    In another irony of depression, both weight loss and weight gain may be symptoms of depression. Generally, if you gain or lose 5% or more of your body weight in a month, it may mean depression.

    Indecision

    Depression can make you feel like you can’t make a decision, even simple ones. Your schedule just seems like gibberish when you look at it; you may not show up for things you have on your calendar or get dates wrong. Everyone makes mistakes, of course, but if this is a chronic problem or you just can’t seem to get a handle on your schedule even when you sit down and try to figure out what to do and what to skip, it may mean depression.

    Inability to Concentrate

    Depressed people often have trouble concentrating and focusing. Your mind may wander, even to thoughts of death or suicide, and you may feel like you just can’t get it together.

    sad depressed woman

  • Top 7 Tips for Stress-Free Family Vacations  

    Although summer’s almost over, there’s still time to take a vacation.

    Although family vacations can be a little frustrating at times (or most of the time, lets be serious) they’re the source of many (all?) comical and pleasant memories.

    Whether you plan to go to the beach, the mountains, or even the big city, you can take a memorable family vacation that’s low-stress and fun for everyone.

    Keep these tips in mind to reduce stress on your next family vacation:

    Plan ahead. Planning is the most important part of any vacation.

    Take into account the individual needs of your kids and arm yourself with whatever is necessary to take care of them while on vacation.

    • For example, if your four-year-old takes naps, don’t forget to bring along the stuffed animal they sleep with at home as their “comfort” item. (or insert special unique item for your little one) For your teen, ensure they have their favorite hand-held electronic device to pass the travel time (or book!).

    Set up a flexible schedule for each vacation day. 

    When you have a day-to-day plan, kids can look forward to things they want to do. Plan a special kid activity for each day.

    • Work in an hour or so of swimming in the hotel’s pool each day or going to play miniature golf. Exercise keeps stress levels low and expends excess energy, especially for kids (& pets too!) Think of playtime as a de-compression time for kids.
    • To see some sights, consider taking a bus tour. Everyone sits down, which relieves aching feet from walking, while still exploring the new surroundings. (& bonus points if it’s the city’s native transport system! #savemoney #enjoyjustthesame)
    • With kids, visiting just one museum per day may be your best bet. If it rains on a day you planned to go to the water park, switch to another day’s plans to see a movie or do another indoor activity.
    • Also, every third or fourth day, plan an easy day where you sleep late, hang out at the hotel, or take short walks around the area. Plan in low-stress days.

    Expect the unexpected. 

    It’s a positive experience for kids to learn that, sometimes, even the best planning is affected by weather, mistakes made by the hotel, and other events out of your control. Talk to your kids in advance about these unplanned possibilities & stay as upbeat as possible. 

    Delegate responsibilities to each child. 

    Maybe your twelve-year-old can be assigned to keep the eight-year-old occupied while at the airport. Or your teen can be in charge of watching over Mom and Dad’s luggage when they go to the restroom or magazine shop before take-off. Before traveling, brainstorm with your kids about how to solve potential challenges. Ask ten-year-old Naomi what she can do to ensure her fourteen-year-old sister, Mia, gets along well with her. Talk to Mia about what she might do to make Naomi happy.

    Change seating arrangements during travel. 

    Whether you’re flying, taking a train, or traveling by car, switch up the seating every half-day or so. Sit in the back seat with your five-year-old daughter while your eleven-year-old son sits in the front with Dad until lunch.

    • Then, change seats after lunch. Consistent seat-changing can freshen up conversations and ease tensions between the kids.

    Take surprise items. 

    For each child, pack new, unseen items to thrill and distract them from the monotony of travel. Trinkets like sticker books for younger kids, word puzzles for eight- to twelve-year-olds, and magazines for teens help the time pass.

    • A book about a child’s favorite subjects or even a new game for their hand-held device can be a godsend when stress starts to trickle in.

    Apply these strategies on your next family vacation.

    Everyone will be happier and your trip will be virtually stress-free.

    Start planning a family get-away now.

    happy family vacation

  • Your Daughter & Her Self Esteem (Body Issues)

    The Body Image Issue: What You Can Do

    When you have a daughter, it is important that you pay close attention to the body image issue. While all genders have the potential to care about how they look, it does tend to be a bigger problem with girls, since there is more pressure put on them to look a certain way. The following tips are going to help you raise your daughter to have a positive body image, which is extremely important for all your children.

    Focus on Your Daughter’s Personality and Intelligence

    It is okay to compliment the way your daughter looks, but don’t only focus on appearance. Get into the habit of giving her all types of compliments, focusing on her skills, talents, creativity, intelligence, accomplishments, and personality traits. Let her know you are proud of everything she has done, you admire her strength and bravery, and that you are proud of her trying new things. When you don’t put as much emphasis on how your daughter looks, she won’t think so much about it either. She will understand that a person’s appearance is not all they have.

    Be Careful What You Do and Say

    How you carry yourself and what you say about your own body makes more of a difference than you might think. Your daughter is watching you, even when you don’t realize it. Don’t give her a good reason to mimic your actions and then try to do or say the same things about herself. It is okay to be healthy and for you to encourage your daughter to be healthy, but talking bad about your weight, complaining the scale isn’t moving, or constantly trying new fad diets is not going to teach her anything that will be good for her own body image.

    Be Honest About People in the Media

    Your daughter is going to see people in the media and might be intimidated by these images. She might want to look like the girls she sees on social media, television, movies, and magazines. It is essential that you keep talking to her about realistic expectations and women’s bodies. Explain that these women might have different circumstances, from a personal trainer and a restricted diet, to simply being born with that frame. It can be a hard discussion to have, but your daughter needs to understand that no two people are alike or will look the same.

    Keep reminding your daughter that she should be healthy and proud of the body she has. Try to find the balance between encouraging healthy eating and exercise, but not putting so much emphasis on appearance.