Depression… While more people are getting aware of it, it is still a controversial topic to some. You’ll hear people – the majority of people, quickly jumping into recommending pills or antidepressants quickly – despite being “not” too knowledgeable about depression itself (signs, symptoms, diagnosis, etc.)
PILLS TREATMENT
Over the last decades, the treatment rate with pills for depression has increased for many good reasons – but also, a bit for bad.
When today’s antidepressants hit the market, it was a revolution compared to the old pill available.
The old ones had massive side effects. You were kind of sent into a zero land where all emotions were gone – you became like a ghost, and they were heart toxic – meaning it was easy to intoxicate yourself with the end result of death.
I KNOW THIS, MEDICALLY, AND FROM EXPERIENCE…
I know from personal experience that my brother repeatedly was taken to heart intensive care.
TODAY’S ANTIDEPRESSANTS
The new version of antidepressants, however, did not have those tough side effects. They are not toxic, so it is hard to kill yourself with them and that is a plus in depression treatment!
SIDE EFFECTS OF TODAY’S PILLS
Some people feel like they get into a bubble eating them, while some have a negative effect on your libido, and they usually take a couple of weeks before they start to make a difference.
Many patients have great help from them – the deeper the depression was to start with, the better the effect. Still, they aren’t for everyone and there is no way other than to test them out to see whom they do work for.
A TREATMENT THAT OUTCLASSES THE PILLS.
Yes, with today’s knowledge, there is one treatment that far out outclasses the pills!
Physical activity has come up as the #1 best medicine for depression – all mild depression but also for moderate depression.
But you’d notice that it is not often used as a treatment in traditional medicine. I wonder why…
WHAT DEPRESSION IS
Depression is often a result of stress and anxiety. We have used daily walks as a treatment for stress for a long time – so this is just the far end of stress treatment.
The effect was good both for healthy individuals and for people diagnosed with disorders that can cause anxiety or lead to depression.
THE EFFECTS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Physical activity releases dopamine, noradrenaline, and serotonin which all are feel-good hormones.
It is a superpower for turning us into a good mood!
The side effects of physical activity are also mostly good effects on other processes in our bodies, like weight, energy levels, blood pressure, cholesterol levels, muscle- and joint pain, and much more.
But despite all these facts…
Physical activity has not been the first choice of treatment in health care.
I think that is a pity because of all the good we know AND it is for free, you can do it anytime it suits you.
You can also take power walks with your friends and make it a win-win with a good conversation together. Also Yoga, Pilates, and alike have the same effects!
I AM NOT SAYING PILLS ARE USELESS They absolutely are useful and helpful, especially in cases of severe depression. If possible, combine pills and physical activity together for increased effect.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STRESS, ANXIETY, AND DEPRESSION
Stress is our emotional and physical response to stressors like unexpected changes or events, and other situations. It raises our blood pressure and heart rate as our body feels the emotional strain and pressure. It’s a reaction to a current trigger.
Anxiety, on the other hand, is when we feel uneasy due to constant worries, especially about the things that have not happened yet – which may or may not happen at all. It is how we dread certain events from happening (or not happening) and may have similar symptoms to stress, but due to different causes.
Stress and Anxiety when both left untreated… may lead to depression, which then constantly affects your mood negatively.
IN ADDITION TO PHYSICAL ACTIVITY…
Physical activity is just one of the many options available as a natural treatment for stress, anxiety, and depression.
Other things that you can practice include being mindful, getting a good amount of sleep, establishing healthy habits, healthy lifestyle, and healthy food choices.
Combining them all together will help you not fall to the growing number of people experiencing depression.
And in case you get lazy…
It’s normal – as not everybody has the energy to move around their bodies – but it is necessary not just for mental health, but also for your health in general.
MAKE IT FUN
It doesn’t have to be exhilarating, as you can choose activities you know you will enjoy. Ride a bike, or learn a new sport – whatever suits you – just remember to always make it fun for it to be enjoyable, and so that you won’t dread doing it and instead LOOK FORWARD to doing it! 🙂
You may be asking, is there a way that you can stay efficient both at work and at home, without compromising either?
You are tired, you feel worn out.
These days, you’re also fed up with all the “what’s happening in our world” talks as it’s ruling everybody else’s life, including ours.
Like you, I had my hands full before and just did not need any other extra burden. It was a never-ending story with tasks waiting to get done.
You still have many hours left at work, and a pile of tasks but you just want to sleep and be able to forget everything. And stress? It’s already taking a strict grip on your brain.
HOW WILL YOU SURVIVE? Recognize.
Everything that’s happening in our world today makes us a little more uncertain, and uncertainty’s naturally a threat to our brains so stress creeps up on us without us noticing until everything just becomes so heavy and hopeless.
WILL UNCERTAINTY HURT YOU
Not really if you take the time to rest and rejuvenate from time to time, or prevent yourself from constantly ending up n that situation by acting at first signs.
To help you, I’ll give 5 proven EASY tips that give you calm, energy, better structure in work, and in the end when all combined, better life or revenue business-wise.
1. The Breathing Anchor
What other BESt here and NOW tool than your ability to take deep breaths??
Admittedly, others see breathing as just breathing – but believe me when I tell you, and as a Doctor, that IT IS NOT. It’s the basic source of life. No breathing, no oxygen = no life!
In a workshop with a group of businesspeople, I was teaching them this tool. One man went almost crazy stating that he was absolutely not doing any breathing exercise – it was just all wo-wo.
I had to calm him down. He even told me not to play games with him. I said, well then by normally breathing he was halfway there – he just needed to start seeing it as a tool.
We showed the whole group how to do the breathing in a good way and off they went for 4 weeks. The guy did not look happy when we parted.
4 weeks later at the next workshop session, this man comes up to me – apologizing for his behavior the last time.
He had – behind closed doors – tested the exercise and noticed that he did feel better – less stress and got better flow in his work and realized it was a good thing!
So, if you start to use breathing as a tool, you will have a friend for life.
Make it your first automatic thing to do when you feel the stress come creeping up your back.
Just stop and breathe..
I heard someone call it your 10-second vacation – and that is a very good way to see it – that is just what it is. 10 seconds of peace of mind – and that can make all the difference.
Someone else calls it your airbag – to release when stress hits you.
Whichever of these analogies you use – don’t forget to utilize this free, effective, and readily available tool.
2. PHYSICAL MOVEMENT
Stand up, jump, stretch, walk around! Movement generates energy in both body and mind by improving cell connections in the brain.
Angry, upset, or stressed out? Walk around the block and you’ll be surprised you’ll feel calm.
Notice how when people fight and someone who doesn’t like talking much when full of emotions just walks out, and then comes back ready to talk calmly? That’s what I’m talking about.
Wayback 200,000 ish years ago we were equipped with 3 main ways to react to threats: flight, fight or freeze – combined with a 4th tool – the ability to move.
Moving plus thinking has a connection. Lost a thought? Move and you’ll remember it easier.
Physical movement gives us clarity, and when we’re thinking straight, we can do great unexpected things.
3. A BREAK.
Our brains don’t like being active for too long. They need to rest and reorganize every now and then.
Sprint 20-50 minutes of work, then squeeze in a 5-15 minute break. Get a coffee, breathe, exercise, stretch, jump, sing, dance… Do crochet, sew – whatever makes your heart happy!
4. Delegate!
Have someone else do the work! Repetitive or routinary tasks that can be taught one time? A task that follows a specific process you can teach? Boring easy tasks?
True enough, not everyone has somebody else to delegate to, but buying a service from someone who in no time can do what takes you ages is always an option! In return, you’ll get more time at your hands and focus on things you do the best.
5. MAKE A STRUCTURE.
Get your working routines in order. Get help from systems and structures that already exist. It may take a day or two to do these organizing changes to get a system that works. But you will soon get all that time back and lots more upfront when your work is much more effective in your daily routine.
Once you have a structure for everything, it can easily be taught and passed on, and implementing #4 above will be waaaay easier!
I know all this sounds too much to take but coming to think of it, they’re all easy, and once all set, make your lives so much easier!
I have received questions before about taking a pill instead to calm down… but, let me warn you on that: Yes, it is true that if you take it all will seem good because you’ll feel calm and better but NO, you’re not done with your “stress problems” and your problem is NOT SOLVED.
Just like alcohol… it helps in a day but certainly only offers temporary relief and solves no root cause of a problem. In fact, can even cause an additional one – alcohol addiction.
So no, I say do not succumb to these temporary solutions because quick fixes never work.
MANAGE TASKS TO BE EFFICIENT
Making a list of things to do or tasks at hand plays a crucial role in this journey, as well as prioritizing them in order.
When you don’t have anything that requires urgency, then that’s your excuse to just go pick random tasks because it’s obvious that the one that you pick is also the one that you like the most to do.
Although we tend to pick the easy ones first, I suggest doing it the other way around because ticking off the hard ones from the list can put your mind at ease.
Nobody for sure would like the hard ones getting piled up… or it becomes unmanageable.
CATEGORIZING YOUR TASKS
If you get confused about which task goes first while making your list, I advise you to break them down into these 4 categories:
1. Urgent and Important
Examples of tasks that fall under this category are those that you cannot always predict and require immediate action or attention to stop further harm if any. These tasks give you the feeling to drop other tasks and do only these tasks NOW.
Both things that include preventing conflicts or making you lose an important opportunity go here.
2. Not Urgent But Important
These tasks, since they are not urgent… sometimes mean that you need to have the time to ponder about them.
Sample tasks that fall here are the tasks that could be something big for your business and need plenty of time planning and doing.
“Why does it come second if it is not urgent”
Because if you don’t start doing them now, sooner or later THEY BECOME URGENT. They may be crucial to your business moving forward – but your mind puts them off – because they are time-consuming and often also energy draining.
Most often selling comes here and all the development of new products. It doesn’t have to be done today – but if never done your business will die.
3. Urgent But Not Important
These are the tasks that require urgency looking like they could be preventing you from achieving some of your goals or proceeding to the next step/s.
But since they are not important, ask yourself if they can be rescheduled or outsourced.
Often we also find all the things from OTHER people’s list here – we are asked for things that we don’t have to do – but since someone is asking for it we think we need to answer. But if we reflect we can see they are not important to us at all.
4. Not Urgent and Not Important
Yes, they do exist. Some examples that fall here are those that other people told you that you need to do or tasks you see other people have so you also thought you need to do the same but don’t probably have to do at all.
Avoid these tasks as much as possible as they only serve as a distraction. Reflect and ask if these tasks are really necessary or just a waste of time.
Halfway into the first month of the year and with the celebrations past us, we are back to the reality of life – and most of our New Year Resolutions are – well, forgotten.
In most cases, that is a fact.
We generally feel elated with the idea of new year. We see new possibilities, set new goals, take on new opportunities, and even make all kinds of promises to ourselves – but then the moment we realize that we’re back into our daily lives, we lose track of everything; and since that is the life that we know, we find it easier to stay rather than move forward.
And just like that, our so-called promises, our #NewYearsResolution – disappears in thin air.
The question is, does it always have to be like that? Or perhaps, is there anything that we can do to stop the cycle from happening?
Of course there is one. Actually, there’s a lot; but this one is my favorite:
“RAISE YOUR STANDARDS – so you can turn your ‘SHOULDS’ into ‘MUSTS’.”
Now why, that out of all the possible things we can do, I chose this one? My answer would be simple – it’s because I believe that once you get to do this, the rest will follow.
Your standard is something that you set – something that you have the ability to control. You decide which level you want to be on.
So when I said ‘Raise your standards’, I meant that if you are stressed out, overweight, or you are a smoker, but didn’t want to be any of those – you don’t get to find excuses not to change. Because if you do, then that is the standard you set for yourself.
But where ‘MUST’ you start? Here are some steps that can help you:
Define what you want to achieve;
Identify how far you are from your goal;
List the specific steps you plan to take in achieving your goal;
Implement; and
Celebrate when you succeed – celebrate with everyone around you.
AND above all, ALWAYS REMEMBER TO RAISE YOUR STANDARDS.
As I record this video I’m here on my last day in the States for this time and the snow is pouring down. I have had a fascinating time here and I just want to tell you a few thoughts about my trip around this TEDx talk that I did the other day.
When I found out that I was going to be able to do TEDx talk I was so happy. It’s been one of my dreams and it came true.
I started to work on the talk and make preparations for the trip with only six weeks to go!
There was a whole lot of preparations to do actually which was on times a little overwhelming but also exciting at the same time.
The closer I got to my trip and the real test of the whole thing – the actual talk, the more nervous I got. Of course we all get nervous when we do a big thing like this.
So, I wasn’t just preparing for the talk by writing it and rehearsing it daily, I was also more careful about getting good sleep every night and going to bed at the right time so I would not just have good sleep but enough sleep.
I was also making sure to eat regular and to do my exercise so that I would keep fit and stay strong and have the energy I needed when I finally got here.
I met with all these beautiful people at the event. Most of the other speakers and with all the people organising it all, just lovely people.
Luckily it was so well organized but I was still getting more and more nervous.
In cases like that, I tend to decide to have some free time for myself to rejuvenate because that’s how I do it. Some other people they might go into the crowd because that’s where they get new energy and those are mostly more the extroverts. I’m more of an introvert so I tend to like to have some time for myself.
The day of the event was fantastic and being on stage was such a marvellous experience. It’s hard to describe.
You stand there and you have all the lights in your face and it’s pitch dark in the audience. You have no idea what they think or what they do because you can’t see them, so you just do your talk and try to speak to someone afterwards.
I got so many good reviews and everyone said it was very interesting and that they related to it and that they learned something from it. Which is of course exactly what I wanted.
Now, I’m just hoping to be able to spread that word all over the world when the actual video is edited and it can be released.
As I record this video I’m on my way home reflecting on what has been such a great experience. I would never have wanted to be without it but it was testing my limits compared to what I have done before, but that’s the way you grow so I encourage you to also test your limits because that’s how you too will grow.
We’re hoping for the video to be released at the beginning of 2019 so until then if you want to dive into some stress related knowledge then please go to this link and get my free book or browse through my blog where you can find lots of free information.
If you feel you need help right now for yourself or for your workforce, please don’t hesitate to connect with me through my website or social media.
Today I’m out on my daily walk. I’ve done daily walks since so many years back and it’s one of the best things I’ve ever started doing. It’s not a routine it’s a ritual because I can’t live without it any longer.
So today I wanted to talk to you a little about why am I doing this and why would this stress management benefit lady leaders too.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
