That Downer "D" Word: Depression

Today I want to talk about a particularly sensitive issue that has been weighing on my mind a lot lately. It is something that I have personally been battling with for the past year... an illness that, according to Beyond Blue, affects over 1 million Australian adults alone. An illness that is twice as prevalent in women than it is in men; depression.

It's a topic that has popped up time and again over the past week, in both conversations with friends who I was surprised to learn also battle depression and/or take anti-depressants and in the midst of over heard conversations between people I have never even met. In light of how many people this very real illness is affecting all across the world, I felt especially compelled to write about this topic in the aim of offering some kind of consolation to others out there; not just as a support and reassurance that you are not the only one out there, but also as a sufferer myself.

As I very briefly mentioned in my last post, I was diagnosed with clinical depression in the year 1999/2000, when I was just 13 years old, and such began a long and painful struggle to crawl my way out of that all too familiar "black hole." Besides the past year, I had actually been doing really well; I had found a way to manage my depression without the use of prescription drugs or therapy and was living what seemed to me, to be a fairly normal existence. I'd love to be able to say I could pin point exactly where things went wrong or even what caused it, but unfortunately, all I do know is that gradually over the past year I have felt as if I were sitting at the top of a very slippery slope down and there are still very real days when I fear I'll lose the battle with my mind.

So the aim of this post is to talk about what exactly depression is and in the forms in which it can affect people, how you can identify if you, a family member or friend may have depression, a look at natural remedies, medication and therapy and finally, how you can help or support yourself, a family member or friend who may be struggling with depression. Throughout this post, I have used Beyond Blue, the National Depression Initiative in Australia, as one of the main sources of reference; they are a fantastic resource and I would definitely recommend a visit to their web page at www.beyondblue.org.au


Depression & its many faces
Feeling blue is normal for most people at some time of another throughout their lives, but depression is not just a 'sad mood,' it is an illness which is believed to affect the chemical make-up in your brain and may in fact be passed down hereditary. It should not be confused with a 'bad' or 'sad' mood; depression typically affects people for periods of up to weeks at a time and in a lot of cases, can actually affect people for years, even their entire life. Specialists have spent years debating the evidence that depression sufferers are likely to actually be more prone to suffering multiple spells throughout their life, following even just one episode of depression at an earlier time. Typically, depression is seen mostly in five main types:

Major or Clinical Depression: This type will generally effect sufferers by inducing a constant state of low mood for a period of at least two weeks

Psychotic Depression: Typically, this type of depression gives sufferers a low mood, coupled with hallucinations, paranoia and/or delusional behaviour

Dysthymia: This type of depression appears similar to major/clinical depression but over a longer period of time, years in fact

Mixed Depression & Anxiety: This type is another nasty face, giving the sufferer both feelings of depression with additional anxiety

Bipolar or Manic Depressive Illness: Typically bipolar will affect people for their entire lives and is characterised by periods of extreme 'high' or 'mania,' followed by extreme depressive moods


Symptoms & Signs of Depression
Unfortunately, it can be difficult to diagnose depression as there do not appear to be physical characteristics of this illness, however there are certainly mood changes you can use when you try to identify whether you or a friend/family member is suffering from depression. I am in no way advocating self-diagnosis, this is just an example of typical symptoms and if you do believe you are a sufferer, please see a medical professional as soon as possible!

Typical symptoms can include, but are not necessarily limited to, a feeling of hopelessness or helplessness, where the sufferer may believe there is no chance they will be able to overcome their situation and feel better. They may also have drastic weight changes, usually an increase in weight in women however some will lose weight suddenly, and they may change their sleeping patterns to the point where they are either barely sleeping or over sleeping, while still feeling drained of all energy. You may start to see an unnatural self-loathing in sufferers which may extend into extreme anxiety and worry, anger issues and reckless behaviour, putting either themselves or others in danger and it is quite common for them to lose all interest in their favourite past times, hobbies or things they had previously found enjoyable. For more information regarding these signs, you and find an interactive questionnaire on the Beyond Blue web page at the following link: http://www.beyondblue.org.au/index.aspx?link_id=89.676


Natural Remedies, Medication & Therapy
There is a fantastic website, http://naturalcuresfordepression.com which deals directly with natural cures for depression from lifestyle changes to natural medicines. I want to speak about a few natural remedies which have been known to help people suffering with depression; lifestyle changes can certainly make a huge difference, such as exercise - believed to be one of the most effective - diet, stress and relationships, however I wont be touching on these topics today as I will be discussing lifestyle changes in depth in other blogs... please stay tuned! So, as far as natural remedies are concerned, four of the major players available on the market are: St. John's Wort, Omega 3 Fish Oil, Vitamin D and 5-HTP.

St. John's Wort
St. John's Wort is a plant extract which has been found to be very successful in the treatment of depression and is available without a prescription at many drug stores worldwide. It has been said to be just as successful in the treatment of depression as some medications and is believed to display far less side effects than some of its prescription counterparts. Typically, it is available in the form of tea, tablets and oils and according to the http://naturalcuresfordepression.com, you can expect to see results within 4-6 weeks. I haven't personally taken St. John's Wort, however I would encourage you to see your Doctor before you begin treatment; St. John's Wort has been said to lower the effectiveness of some other medications like birth control.

Omega 3 Fish Oil
I recently watched a documentary featuring Actor & Comedian Stephen Fry, called Stephen Fry: The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive. It is a great documentary in two parts and if you have the time or the interest, I would encourage you to give it a watch. You can find it online free at http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/. There is a part in the documentary where Stephen meets with a woman, a GP in fact, who suffers Manic Depressive Illness and she shares her story on how she self-manages her illness through the use of diet & Omega 3 Fish Oils. Omega 3 is a huge player in the vitamin world and has been said to help such conditions as heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis and is believed to be very helpful in the treatment of depression, either taken alone or in conjunction with anti-depressants. Omega 3 can be found naturally in some foods including oily fish like salmon and mackerel and in walnuts and flaxseed.

Vitamin D
Vitamin D seems to have taken the war against depression by storm in very recent years. It can be found naturally in some breeds of fish and most commonly, sunlight, and a recent study published by Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Vitamin D may be commonly lacking in people suffering from depression and has been linked with helping several other health conditions. In talking about Vitamin D with a few friends, I discovered many people are opting to buy ultra-violet lights as exposure to them is said to improve mood and over long periods of time, actually help diminish the effects of depression! Friends have assured me they seem to get great benefit from the lights by using them in the morning and either sitting under them or allowing the light to just sit on their skin for about 30 minutes each day. The lights can be purchased online and in some stores and are averagely selling for a few hundred dollars each.

5-HTP
5-HTP or 5-Hydroxytryptophan, is a plant extract which aids the brain in producing natural serotonin. According to the http://www.5htp.com/ website, 5-HTP can be used to treat multiple conditions including, but not limited to, depression, obesity, migraine headaches and sleep conditions. It is available in many health food stores without prescription and comes in a capsule form of which you take three per day. I tried taking 5-HTP regularly for about six months and found it was really effective in helping me cope with everyday stresses and gave me peaceful sleep with vibrant and wonderful dreams... however I can't say it cured my depression. I would certainly recommend adding this to your vitamin list however, but if you are purely looking at treating your depression, you may find it more useful if you take it in conjunction with additional help.

Prescription Medications
I'm not going to get into prescription medications a great deal; there are many options available on the market today and this blog would go on forever if I tried to talk about all of them. What I will say is that while I prefer to use natural remedies where possible, I have had success using prescription medication in the past. I am of the opinion that these medications are best taken as a short term aid that allows you enough clarity and energy to make additional changes in your life where you need to help cure your depression; for example, medication and therapy can be very effective used in partnership. Furthermore, while many anti-depressants in years gone by came with severe and nasty side effects, a significant portion of medical research has been allocated to this particular area and some of the anti-depressants available on the market today are far better for you and don't have the same stomach-churning side effects of some of their older friends. I also want to note here; it seems a large number of people are growing more and more against the idea of taking prescription medication to deal with depression; this should absolutely be your choice to make and if you want to, or already are, taking a prescription anti-depressant, there is no shame in it! As someone who suffers depression personally, I can say that any treatment or combination of treatment that offers you relief and keeps you from harming yourself or others is absolutely a good thing and power to you for having the strength and taking the control to deal with your depression the best way you can! If you're not taking prescription medication but believe this is an option for you, please see your family doctor for a consultation.

Therapy
Therapy... this is a soft spot for me because I genuinely believe, despite all other forms of treatment, this is what helped me to overcome my depression for the few years before my relapse. Personally, I have tried a few different forms of therapy and the one that I found most effective was an alternative Therapist. With an open mind and an eagerness to heal, I visited a therapist in Perth, Western Australia, who had me hitting padded blocks with baseball bats, stretching, crying, participating in meditation and even vision quests... I can't really explain it, but after only four intense & long sessions with her, the depression that had been haunting for almost 8 years already... was gone! And I went on and lived a normal life... until now. So perhaps I have more work to do, I certainly believe I am more susceptible to depression as a result of my history, however I now know that I can in fact live a normal life, without medication, without doctors, just me, as I am. Now I can't say that therapy will have the same effect on you or a loved one, however I would absolutely encourage you to give it a go; it can help you deal with issues you may not even realise you are storing away and are causing you additional pain. I believe clearing your life of negative energy can help to heal your depression, whether it be negative energy from a painful childhood, loss of a friend or loved one, a relationship breakdown... whatever the reason may be, in order to heal, you need to let go.

So lastly, I want to talk about what you can do to support yourself or a friend/family member who is battling depression. This is a tough one because I do believe it is very difficult for people who have never suffered depression, or who have since been cured of depression, to understand what it feels like to be that ill person in that moment. One thing I do know, is that without throwing a pity party, please support them as much as you can by listening and being understanding. While most of your advice may be very good advice, practical & reasonable, it is usually not as easy for someone with depression to see that or to act on it and many times, this is why people with depression feel so isolated and believe no one understands what they are going through. Having said that, for those of us who have depression, we must appreciate that our friends & family can't always be our go to point; it can exhaust them, cause them to feel down and worry about you excessively and go easy on them; it can be especially difficult to help a loved one suffering depression. So, I encourage you to allow yourself to speak with friends and family when you need to within reason, and when you need additional support and people to talk to, there are many amazing & very helpful support centres that you can phone 24-7. In addition, there are so many amazing support groups available online, through Facebook and one-on-one group sessions and I encourage you to connect with them; they are there to help and support you in what you need.

So in conclusion, to those of you that do suffer depression, you are not alone! You are not weak, or broken, or pathetic - you are an incredible person who is suffering from an illness... please do';t be so hard on yourself! You would never hate your children for having the flu so please don't hate yourself for being ill and never stop believing that help is available and you can be cured!


Picture sourced from http://shiratdevorah.blogspot.com. I do not own the rights to this image.



Week Three Challenge:

If you have depression, your challenge this week is to research the support in your area, contact them & say a special thank you to the family members & friends who have supported you!


If you are a friend or family member of someone with depression, please show your support by doing something special to show your friend or family member  that you care x


"It's Challenge Time"photo sourced from: http://budgetofyourlife.com

An Addiction to Journals...

For those of you out there that keep a blog, you may be able to relate to the fact that sometimes a topic will appear to you and your blog will practically write itself. Needless to say, even though the topic of this post was planned to be about something totally different, I felt compelled to write about journaling and found that the idea of keeping a journal seemed to continuously and magically work its way into my life and my conversations with various people throughout the week.


As a teenager and a young adult, I battled clinical depression for a number of years and my Mum would regularly suggest I keep a journal to "get all those negative feelings out." Unlike its high school counterpart, the idea of keeping a journal no longer appeals to me as a place to pour out details of smooches under the kissing tree at school or talk about how cute so-and-so is, but I have found it to be a very useful tool in regards to investigating how I feel about issues that arise in my life and things that I am feeling or dealing with at that time. It was a fairly recent decision to begin a journal during this chapter of my life but I can tell you I have already become quite acquainted with my new red bound diary (who I like to refer to as Betsy) and I now try to "chat" with her on a nightly basis if I can. Betsy has become almost like a pen-pal who is always available to listen when I need and without offering any direct advice, she always seems to show me how I feel about certain situations and helps me to see how I could best deal with it... and it would seem I'm not the only one! In a wave of conversations with friends and family, I realised journaling seems to have taken my social circle by storm and all reviews are positive!

So why is journaling such an effective tool? In speaking with friends and through my experience, I have found journaling helps to trim the branches of your sequential thinking and allows you to see your thoughts and feelings from outside the box. This can be especially useful as it can be particularly hard to see the best way to deal with issues you are experiencing when you are dealing with them in a direct or first person mode; Journaling allows you to take a step back and almost approach them as if they were happening to a friend or as something outside of yourself. Not only that, but it also allows you to lay out your goals and aspirations in a very clear way and offers you the chance to look back at a later date and access your progress or how you or your life has changed over time. But don't take my word for it, medical professionals have been advocating the use of journals since the 60's! Psychologist Ian Progoff, for example, found journaling to be a very effective method of growth for adults and in 1975, he stated that journaling could "draw each person's life toward wholeness at its own tempo," and that it "systematically evokes and strengthens the inner capacities of persons working from a non-medical vantage point." ["Uses and Benefits of Journal Writing" Roger Hiemstra, 2002]

There are many ways you can go about creating and keeping a journal and I really encourage you to take full advantage of your creativity here! This is your journal, there are absolutely no rules or regulations of how you choose to approach it and you really can take this as far as you want to! Personally, as stated, my journal began as a small bound notebook where I wrote mainly about things that were going on in my life and issues I was facing. However, I have since thought that there are absolutely thousands of ways you could expand on this traditional concept which will help your journal practise to evolve and flourish! For example, for those of you who like to draw or paint, a journal is the perfect place for you to get creative and explore art forms which express certain feelings or emotions and this is also a great opportunity to incorporate photographs or pictures, either taken or obtained, which really evoke raw emotion in you. Another great addition for your journal could be poetry, quotes or lyrics that you have either written or find inspirational and fitting to what you are experiencing. Some people also like to incorporate life stories, sort of like short memoirs, in their journals, write letters to future children, grandchildren or loved ones for after they are gone or even include dreams and visions that they have had. The mind just boggles!

In regards to frequency, I don't believe there is a certain amount of journaling you need to do for the process to be effective. As we discussed, this journal is yours to do with as you will so it should never become a chore or something you put off. I try to write every day but if I don't get round to it, I'm not going to beat myself up about it! Some people like to set very specific journal goals, for example journaling once per day, but if you do, I would encourage you to be flexible otherwise you may disappoint yourself if you set high expectations and find you end up writing less. A good way to start is by journaling whenever you have something to say on a somewhat regular basis until it becomes a normal part of your schedule. Having said that, some sort of regular journaling, whether it be once daily or weekly, certainly has its advantages; you will have a clearer idea of where you are at & how far you have come if you are writing regularly. An irregular journal can almost be compared with a Monet; while you definitely get an idea of what you're looking at, the little details tend to be missing. Personally, I discovered journaling to be quite addictive and once I had started, I found myself tempted to 'chat' with Betsy even more than once a day!


So, with all that in mind, this weeks challenge is all about creating your own journal and using your creativity to get the absolute most out of the process! Don't forget we would all love to hear how this worked for you, please feel free to share your own experience with the group!

"Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart." William Wordsworth

Week Two:
Create a journal and use it regularly to express the desires & notions of your heart!

Get your Goal on!

When I was much younger and still living at home, Saturday's were clean-up day at our house. My mother would ask us girls to help out around the house with various chores and expect us to have our room tidy by the end of the day. My Grandpa would usually visit for a cuppa, with Skampy his little Jack Russel in tow, and together they would judge our rooms for the best clean-up and award the winner with a hot pink haired troll mounted on a piece of wood in the form of a make-shift trophy.

Even at such a young age, my sister Lizzie was a true business woman and had an amazing ability to save up all her pocket money so to us, she always seemed to be absolutely loaded. Using her best persuasive skills, she always managed to convince our youngest sister, Alice, to clean their shared bedroom in exchange for a shiny gold coin... I was not so good at saving, or so business minded, and usually ended up stuffing most of my mess under the bed at the last minute; needless to say, Lizzie & Alice consistently took home the troll.

You're probably wondering if there's a point to this charming little story of days gone by... and I assure you, there is. Grandpa would regularly tease me about my ability to hide so much crap underneath my bed and Mum, as all good mum's are, was full of useful advice. While I groaned and complained about having to clean my room, Mum would say, "Just start with the smallest mess and go from there, you'll be done in no time!" or "Sal, just start at the beginning!" So in the same way, I'm going to use that advice to apply to this blog; the smallest 'mess,' or challenge in this case, that I want to address is goal setting. Goal setting is a great way to identify the kinds of things you want and get an idea of how you can achieve them. There's a fitting little quote by Lawrence J. Peter that goes, "If you don't know where you are going, you'll probably end up somewhere else."

So why set goals? Goal setting is an excellent way to establish what you want to achieve and when you want to achieve it. We've all heard that little acronym S.M.A.R.T; goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely... this is a great way to approach goal setting. Goals also help to spur you on and keep you on track. For example, if you set goals you want to achieve over a varied time line, say 1, 2 & 5 years, you will be even more motivated to continue as you start crossing some of those small guys off your list! Keeping yourself on track is also a big one! Discussing your goals with close friends who will support you and encourage you is a great way to keep yourself accountable. Another way you can do this is by committing yourself to something you wont want to walk away from, like a membership with a cancellation fee or a daily morning walk with a girlfriend who will knock on your door every morning without fail to collect you.

So, how do you know what you want to achieve? If you're anything like me, you might have come into this with little more than vague ideas of how you would like to see your life change. Lucky for us, there are programs out there that can help stimulate ideas of things you might like to try or start working on. One of these fantastic resources, that one I highly recommend, is Day Zero Project which you can join at http://dayzeroproject.com/. Day Zero is a nifty little site that allows you to join thousands of other participants in creating a personalised goal list of 101 things you would like to achieve in the next 1001 days (or 2.75 years). If you're hard up for ideas, you can visit the "Idea Finder" tab and see what other people out there are working to achieve. Whether you want to totally change your lifestyle, try new things, travel to anywhere and everywhere or just go to a movie alone, Day Zero Project has an inspiration for you!

Personally, my Day Zero list contains a wide selection of things from as small as going without TV for a week to as large as writing and illustrating a children's book. One of the things I'll be blogging about on this site is some of the goals I have set and my adventures during the process of completing them! I'll also be including a "Challenge" section in each blog with an activity or idea I'll be road testing for the week so you can participate in this journey... after all, isn't that why you're here? If you are one of the readers who is brave enough to actively participate, I highly encourage you to comment with your own personal experiences during the week so we can all help each other stay on track! Likewise, if you've already completed a similar challenge in the past or the challenge is already part of your regular schedule, please feel free to comment with any advice or tips for other readers; we'd all love your input!

"If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you." Fred Devito

Much love,
A Single Gal x

Week One:

Create a list of goals & things you would like to achieve.
Recommended source: http://dayzeroproject.com






"It's Challenge Time"photo sourced from: http://budgetofyourlife.com

A Call to Arms

Originally the idea of this blog was for it to serve as a sort of 'personal journey,' through a variety of adventures & challenges I had set myself. Initially I designed it to overcome the stagnant haze my life has taken on over the past year, which come to a head when my serious relationship (the one I thought would be my last) came to a sudden & crushing end. I was left half way across the world from home, depressed, heart broken, unemployed, broke...

Okay, so maybe you're not as bad off as me... maybe you're not even going through a break up. Maybe you just want to make some much needed changes in your life! If so, you've come to the right place. Consider this blog your 'call to arms'... a kick up the butt! Take action & create the life you want, NOW!

Throughout this blog, I'll be talking about (and road testing) different changes, challenges, activities & adventures, in the process of resurrecting as a whole, complete, single gal! If there are changes you want to make in your life, I am open to suggestions! I encourage you to comment on this blog & share your ideas with the group.


If you're brave, or maybe just crazy enough, I challenge you to join in and road test these ideas for yourself! All I can promise is that by doing this, I hope you'll have to opportunity to try a whole bunch of new things, meet some new people, have a few adventures and hopefully have a giggle at my expense! If we're all really lucky, we might just leave with a whole new perspective & attitude to life. The choice is yours; join if you dare! In the words of a good friend of mine; Do it. Doooo itttt.

Courtesy of the "Follow Your Dreams" Facebook group, I leave you with your new words to live by.

Much love,
A single gal x