Most people who are affected by depression become very flat, lifeless, stressed out and easily agitated. Some individuals even have trouble getting out of the bed. This makes it very difficult to recover or bounce back. The essential oils used in aromatherapy, may help to reverse this by positively affecting the brain. Essential oils can provide an emotional lift and help to alleviate some of the tension and anxiety associated with depression.

Some common essential oils that are believed to help chase away the blues include: Geranium, Jasmine, Sandalwood, Rose, Peppermint and Ylang Ylang.

Although counseling and medication have been the mainstays in the fight against depression, there are many side effects associated with pharmaceutical meds and many people stay in counseling for years without any significant progress. Others do experience relief using these methods and that is great. However, there are groups of individuals who would rather not use pharmaceutical drugs to cure their depression, or may be simply looking to supplement their drug regimen. They may be interested in experimenting with natural remedies. Aromatherapy gives them that option. It can be added as an additional tool in the fight against depression. To increase the effectiveness of this approach, changes in diet, physical activity, and supplementation can really help to multiply the effects of aromatherapy.

A 17th century herbalist by the name of John Gerard, believed that clary sage was good to use when individuals were suffering from mental tiredness, depression and other mental disorders. Today, many aromatherapists tend to agree. According to research conducted at the International Flavors and Fragrances in New Jersey, fragrances of orange are also believed to be helpful in reducing anxiety

Aromatherapy is generally more effective in people who are only having mild bouts of depression, and that either do not require medication or who are being weaned off of it. . This is because there is no threat of dangerous drug interactions. Now while aromatherapy can be very helpful, it is important that one doesn't suddenly stop using their medications. This could potentially be quite dangerous. It is vital that one works closely with their doctor, psychiatrist or psychologist, so that they can safely create an effective game plan to be weaned off prescribed medications as a health professional sees fit.

Probably the most effective forms of aromatherapy to treat depression are bath and massage oils. These allow you take advantage of both your sense of touch and smell. Aromatherapy is a fantastic way for individuals to treat mild depression. Lavender, geranium, rose and peppermint are some of the very best essential oils to use when one has the prolonged blues.

By: George Key
George Key lives in an island of Greece and he is very interested in natural health and alternative medicine. He owns a site dedicated to Aromatherapy and Essential Oils.

Stress is found everywhere. Life for people in the modern age is increasingly stressful. Unemployment, gas prices, children, long hours at work...the list goes on and on and on.Most of us know we are stressed and maybe you do a pretty good job of keeping it under control most of the time. No matter how calm you may appear, simply hiding your stress is not really helping you.

A study published in 2007 by the Semel Institute for Neuroscience, University of California about the relation between psychological stress and immune-related diseases found that elevated stress levels will make you very sick and could eventually kill you.

There are two types of stress that affect your life. Long-term stress is the type of stress that you endure on a daily basis. All of the things that come up in life contribute to your long-term stress. Acute stress is caused by more specific events. Marital strife, public speaking, and accidents all cause acute stress. It has been believed for decades that acute stress didn't really affect us as much as long-term stress. However, in the 2007 study it was discovered that both long-term and acute stress have profound and lasting effects on your immune system and disease.

Chronic stress has been found to cause systemic coronary inflammation. People who have low levels of stress and depression also have a low risk of major cardiac events. Those who have higher stress and depression have significantly higher risk of a major cardiac event. Taking care of the cardiovascular system should be priority #1 for each and every person but sadly it is not. You are more likely to die from cardiovascular disease than any other cause.

Stress can be a significant cause in many types of illness. People who are chronically stressed are much more likely to have heart attacks and strokes. Stressed people have more cancer and other conditions like high blood pressure and severe arthritis.

Stress is one of the main ways to make sure you don't live as long as you should. Controlling the stress in your life should be a high priority if you are on a quest to live a long and healthy life.

So, what are some ways to control the stress? Here are a few tips that help me and I'm sure they can help you.

Tips to beat stress:

1. Slow Down: This is quite possibly my favorite. People who know me know that I am a rather slow person. I am also a very low stress person. It wasn't always this way. I learned long ago that I am in complete control of my life and the pace at which I live it. Ask anyone, I eat slow. I drive slow. I talk slow. I make decisions slow. What's the rush anyway? Why stuff your face so quickly? Why drive so fast and get angry and waste gas? Is it really worth saving two minutes? Don't jump from of thing to another at lightning speed. Very few choices must be made right now. Take your time. Live a little. Don't be so uptight all the time. This one tip will amaze you if you can teach yourself the habit of slowing down.

2. Evaluate and Prioritize: Take time now and then to evaluate what is causing you the most stress. What are the top three reasons you are stressed? Eliminate them. Period. It's not worth wasting your life full of stress and unhappiness. Do you hate your job? Think about the things in your job causing the most stress then start looking for one that doesn't include those negative points. Are you in the career you have always really wanted? Why not? Change it! I know that sounds scary but sometimes you just have to get some courage and go for it. Start going to school and prepare yourself for your real career and start living your real life. Never let any career, relationships or debts hold you down. Simplify. Start selling all your stuff. Get rid of the debt. Learn a new trade. Free up your life!

3. Take time to relax: Everyday just take some time for yourself. Forget the house. Forget the bills and the kids. Forget the boss. How is your life going? Are you getting where you want to be? What are some things you want to do this week? This month? This year? Before you die? Life is not about running the rat race. Life is about living and experiencing. Life is about envisioning what you want and then taking it. Sometimes it seems easier to ignore all these issues. But you can't ignore them. They sit in the back of your mind. Eating away at you like a cancer.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. - Mark Twain

By: Daniel Lee
There is so much more to learn about protecting your health and living to the fullest... Click Here Now to get the latest research and facts about your health.

If the 20th century was considered the most tensed-up period in history, the 21st century is set to exceed it by far. Depression is one of the most serious health hazards of today, and has reached epidemic proportions. We live in a disorderly world where people are highly competitive, commercialized and power hungry. This leads to a lot of stress and anxiety. It is estimated that about 40% of the population is on tranquillizers. WHO figures say that 5-12% of people are depressed. In India, there are 50 million sufferers of which 5-10% have major depression. Almost 50-75% of suicides are by people who are depressed. In Zimbabwe, depression is called "shona," meaning "thinking too much."

No one is immune to Depression. It affects all ages from young children to senior citizens, manual labourers to corporate heads, literate or illiterate. Winston Churchill who suffered from depression called it the "black dog." Abraham Lincoln also suffered from bouts of depression. "It hits the most ambitious, creative and conscientious," says Jeffrey Spellar, a psychiatrist.

Women are three times more likely to suffer from depression due to their varying hormonal cycles, and are vulnerable premenstrually, after delivery, and during the perimenopausal years. Though about 80% of women suffer from post partum "baby blues" which last for a few days and resolve spontaneously, about 20% suffer from severe depression leading to suicidal tendencies, harming or killing their babies, or refusing to breast feed. Irritability, sleeplessness, weeping without reason, are some of the signs that warn of severe depression.

Men are depressed on specific issues like failure in business or loss of a job. The elderly, who live alone or who are totally dependant on others also suffer anxiety and depression.

During adolescence, both boys and girls are equally vulnerable. The transitory period before adulthood is a bewildering time of experimentation. They feel unsettled and out of control and scared because of the physical and emotional changes taking place. About 2-3% of adolescents are depressed.

According to Indian Council of Medical Research in 2001, 12.8% young children are found to be depressed. As they are unable to express sadness, they show it through aggression, refusal to eat, insomnia and other ways. When parents set impossible standards, the constant fear of failure makes them depressed.

Care givers of the ill or disabled, who are under constant stress, also suffer from depression. Stephen Hinshaw a Californian psychiatrist says, "Many people, especially those caring for others, get to a point when there is an imbalance between their own feelings of being human and their confrontation with difficult, distressful issues on a day to day basis. Things go tilt."

Depression has a genetic component and may run in families. Identical twins are at a greater risk. Environmental factors however, are the main reasons for depression. Loss of a job, divorce, marital friction, bereavement, financial difficulties, fear of failure, unreached goals, too many deadlines to keep, the struggle to keep up with the Joneses, are some of the exogenous causes that trigger depression. Recently there have been many suicides due to disappointment in love.

There are different grades of depression. Dysthmia is a less severe mood disorder, but lasts for about two years. Seasonal Affective Disorders (SAD) occur during winter months when energy levels drop. People become sluggish and tend to eat more sweets and carbohydrates.

Depression may manifest itself as lack of energy, withdrawal, unexplained sadness, feeling of worthlessness, suicidal tendencies, lack of libido, or irritability. In major depression, there may be a total disinterest in food, hobbies, sex and everything that is pleasurable.

All of us go through periods of depression, but we soon bounce back to normal. When symptoms persist for more than two weeks, it is a sign of clinical depression and must be treated. Depression is more harmful than chronic diseases. It aggravates the symptoms of arthritis, angina, diabetes, asthma or other medical problems. A research paper published in the Lancet says, "Depression impairs health state to a substantially greater degree than other diseases."

Depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Neurotransmitters that carry messages to the brain and nerves such as serotonin and noradrenaline are reduced in the synapses along the nerve paths. Thought processes become impaired, and depression sets in. Heavy drinking and drugs reinforce depression.

There are many ways to take charge of one's depression.

• Tackling the cause of depression and remedying it. It may involve a change in life style, change in attitude to events or situations or people. Focus must be on living positively, and converting anxiety into positive energy.

• Expressing feelings of fear, anger or sadness. Talking to a sympathetic counsellor or a psychotherapist. Talk Therapy or Cognitive Behaviour Therapy is a valuable adjunct to medication. Putting feelings into words makes sadness or anger less intense. It reduces suicidal tendencies. Speaking about one's negative feelings activates that part of the brain which is responsible for control of emotions. Within the context of a caring relationship, Psychotherapy helps a person to identify the cause of his depression, enables him to cope, by identifying his positive resources and using them to change his attitude to problems. It helps him let go of negative attitudes and teaches him to discipline his mind.

• Regular Exercise. Brisk walking, jogging, cycling, swimming or any kind of physical activity, releases beta endorphins which neutralize stress hormones.

• Listening to music, singing or playing an instrument helps to ease depression by releasing hydrocortisone, which is an anti-stress hormone.

• Putting a stop to multitasking, which makes a person feel out of control. Trying to do one thing at a time will yield better results.

• De-stressing muscles through relaxation techniques, yoga or breathing exercises. The Art of Living guru Sri Sri Ravi advocates a special breathing technique called Sudharshan Kriya, which involves hyperventilation. It is supposed to be a mood lifter.

• Consciously avoiding comfort eating. Stress related fat is very difficult to shed.

• Medication should be under a doctor's supervision. Drugs alone don't address the cause, and must go hand in hand with psychotherapy.

• Spending time with the family and doing what is enjoyable. Seeking the company of happy people. Those who stay happy are seldom depressed. "Our brains are designed to reflect and catch the state of the person we're with," says Daniel Goldman, psychologist. "An unhappy person floods our minds with negative emotions that trigger stress centres."

• Hypnotherapy is useful for resistant cases. It relieves tension, helps deal with traumas, fears and phobias that cause stress.

• Meditation and Prayer will increase spiritual well being and help a person understand the meaning and purpose of life. It will change depressive attitudes into positive thinking.

By: Eva Bell
http://www.evabell.net
Eva Bell is a doctor of Medicine and also a freelance writer of articles, short stories, children stories. Published in Indian magazines and newspapers, anthologies and also on the web. Author of two novels, one non-fiction, two children's books. Special interest- Travel and Women's Issues.

Let's start with a medical definition of stress: A physiologic reaction by an organism to an uncomfortable or unfamiliar physical or psychological stimulus. Biological changes result from stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system, including a heightened state of alertness, anxiety, increased heart rate, and sweating.

A simpler definition of stress (psychological stress), is that it's a type of strain that affects a person mentally, physically, and emotionally. The physical reactions to stress are natural defense mechanisms intended to deal with the threat of predators and aggressors. It's your body's "fight-or-flight" adrenaline response. Your body instantly shifts into high gear to deal with the emergency.

Today there are also many psychological "threats" to contend with. For example: Moving, divorce, troubles or challenges at work, exams at school, making ends meet, taking care of an ill parent or child. The less control you have over any of these events and the more uncertainty they create, the more likely you are to feel stressed.

In addition, these modern psychological threats are often prolonged. In other words, they're not over in a few minutes like a typical physical threat is. Your fight-or-flight response works overtime. While this response is good for a short-term crisis, it can be very harmful to your body when the reaction lasts longer.

The definition of stress extends to the "three types" of stress.

Acute Stress: This is the most common and it comes from events of the recent past or those anticipated in the near future. These are primarily the daily events of life: The fender bender. Missing the commuter train. A big mistake at work. Losing cable TV during the Super Bowl. And so on.

A form of acute stress is "eustress" which can be defined as a form of positive stress. In some situations you benefit from stress because it gives you your competitive edge in sports, giving a speech, job interview, or acting. Eustress provides you with focus to help you think quickly and clearly.

Eustress also keeps you vital and excited about life. Examples include the excitement of a fast challenging run down the ski slope, a roller-coaster ride, or a scary movie. Nonetheless, too much eustress can still tax your body. So be sure to have some "down time" to keep a healthy balance in your life.

Episodic Acute Stress: Basically this applies to people who experience acute stress frequently, almost on a non-stop basis. It includes people whose lives are a study in chaos and crisis. Another group of people are the "Type A" personalities. Their driving personality seems to create frequent episodes of acute stress. Then there are the endless worriers. They see disaster around every corner. If anything can go wrong it does.

Chronic Stress: It grinds people down day after day and year after year. It literally destroys bodies, minds and lives. Chronic stress can occur when a person sees no way out of a miserable situation. From being trapped in an unhappy marriage or in a job they despise. It can also be the stress of poverty or dysfunctional families.

The danger is that often people get used to it and may even forget it's there. But your body doesn't and it is paying a very high price. Chronic stress kills through suicide, violence, heart attack, stroke, and perhaps even cancer.

A complete definition of stress requires mentioning "post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)." PTSD is a debilitating condition that may develop after a terrifying event. War veterans first brought it into the limelight but anyone can experience it.

Examples of terrifying or traumatic events are: child abuse and domestic abuse; violent attacks, such as rape, mugging, or torture; threats of violence or verbal abuse, such as bullying; disasters, both natural and human-caused; being kidnapped or held captive; accidents; and military combat.

Regardless of the type of stress, no two people react in exactly the same way. And some people are less resistant to stress than others. This does NOT mean they're weak. Numerous recent studies, including one by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), are revealing how a naturally occurring mechanism in the brain promotes resilience to psychological stress. And one day it may even be possible to increase stress-resistance in people faced with situations that might otherwise result in post-traumatic stress disorder, for example.

Having a clear understanding of the definition of stress allows you to manage and cope with it effectively. Remember, stress is natural and even beneficial at times. However, too much over extended periods of time will have serious negative impacts on your physical and mental health.

By: Melinda Grossman
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