Depression is one part of bipolar disorder. Depression has been the subject of much writing, as the country has sought to reevaluate an era that dumped financial as well as emotional catastrophe on its people. Depression is so common that over 1 in 5 Americans can expect to get some form of depression in their lifetime.

Depression

Depression is a serious medical illness that involves the brain. Depression is one of the most common and most serious mental health problems facing people today. Depression can interfere with a person's ability to function effectively throughout the day or even to have the motivation to get out of bed in the morning. Depression is a real illness; it is treatable; and men can have it. Depression is not a normal part of aging. Depression without sadness: alternative presentations of depression in late life. Depression is a serious health problem that impacts a youngster's feelings, thoughts and actions, and can appear as a physical illness or behavior problem.

Depression can also be expressed as apathy, or an inability to feel anything. Depression gets in the way of dieting, exercising, and even taking the medicines that can control diabetes. Depression is a chronic disorder and it has long term affects on a person life feelings associated with depression are not just over a specific event but are persistent and the person suffering from depression cannot just take over their feelings as they wish or like and get better.

Depression is not something you can just "snap out of. Depression, like other medical conditions, has a chemical and biological basis. Depression is not simply a passing sadness or blue mood that lifts in a few hours or days, but is persistent. Most people with a depressive illness do not seek treatment, although the great majority even those whose depression is extremely severe can be helped.

By: Matt Bush
Matt Bush recommends the etherapy center for those seeking online therapy.

Listing the causes of stress is tricky to say the least. A stress condition can be real or perceived, and it is solely dependant on the individual. Some of the basic common reasons are:

Life's Situations
Attitude
Could by your genes
Smoking
Work
Commuting
Finances
Low self esteem

Regardless of the cause, stress starts certain changes in the body that are designed to give it a quick burst of energy, the body goes through the following changes when faced with a stressful situation:

-The adrenal glands release adrenaline and stress hormones that trigger certain organs to go into action.
-Your breathing becomes faster and more shallow which creates the body to take in more oxygen.
-The liver releases more blood sugar to provide more energy.
-The heart beats faster and blood pressure rises to increase the oxygen and nutrients throughout the body.
-Blood flow to the brain and muscles is increased and reduced to the digestive organs.

So each time there is a stress situation this is what our bodies go thru, then if there is chronic stress the body stays in high alert and that is when we get high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, damaged blood vessels, decreased mental skills, weakened immune system, heart disease, inflammation in the body, drinking, over eating, depression and headaches.

What we need to do is identify our individual cause of stress, and be specific, make a list; don't just say it is my job or it is my relationship or it is my kids. Get really specific because the next step is to list ways of reducing that stress, so the more specific you can be on your identifying list the easier it will be to list ways of reducing it.

The list for reduction of stress could go a little like this:

Meditate daily
Take a walk on lunch hour
Take a walk in the evenings
Do deep breathing exercises during the day
Go to bed earlier and make it your sanctuary
Take at least 30 minutes a day just for you
Listen to motivation tapes or music on your commute
Eat healthy organic foods
Go on an anti-inflammatory diet
Yoga
Progressive Muscle Relaxation
Guided imagery
Laughing
Making love
Long relaxing bath with candles and music

I am sure you can make your own list, it is fun to think of the ways you can make your self happy and joyful and lead you into a less stressful life…go play and find your own ways….

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: "Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone." -Lin Yutang-

By: Darlene Siddons
My life is a work in progress; my current passion is health and wellness in the arena of organic food, holistic health, natural wellness and sharing information with the physically challenged. I reside in my own personal wellness center retreat and sanctuary in California and this affords me to bring to you my wisdom, knowledge and spiritual self in my writings. On this journey I have met many wonderful teachers and one of them is Joe Vitale, one of the teachers in The Secret, his ebook The Greatest Money Making Secret is offered for free on my website. Please stop by and receive your copy today. Darlene Siddons Spirited Boutique.

Do the things you worry about keep you up at night? Do you often feel nervous and uncomfortable? If so, this burden of stress is most likely making your life miserable. Do you want to break free from stress, stop worrying and start being happy? You can end this cycle now by identifying and dealing with the underlying causes of stress.

Future Fears

Fear about future events is one of the most common causes of worrisome stress. These fears can range from trivial concerns--such as what to wear to work the next day--to global fears about how the world will survive.

"When I look back on all these worries I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which had never happened." ~Winston Churchill

Anytime you worry about something that may or may not happen at some point in time, you're giving in to future fears. You might hear yourself saying things like:

"What if I lose my job?"
"What if she never talks to me again?"
"My son is sick, what happens next?"
"The world is so scary, what about war?"

Worries such as these can lead to restless or even sleepless nights. Sleepless nights lead to more stress, which in turn causes more worry--in other words, it's a vicious cycle.

Past Regrets

Another major cause of stress is dwelling on past regrets. By not letting go of things that may have gone wrong--or even just not as well as you might have hoped--stress increases and new fears are fed.

"If I had only done a better job on that essay"
"I never should have said that"
"I should have spent more time with my family"
"I should've never put that much money on my credit card"

These are the thoughts of someone who can't stop stressing about things that have already happened. Regret about the past can reflect any thoughts about events that you believe should or should not have happened.

How Can You Tell if You've Fallen into a Worry Cycle?

Whether you're concerned with the past, the future, or both, these kinds of thoughts are the source of the worry cycle and the underlying source of your stress. Trapped in the cycle, you may become anxious, sad, confused, or depressed. You might even begin to stress about worrying so much.

Needless to say, it is normal for us to think about future events, have some regret about past experiences and even stress about them to some degree. You can tell you've fallen into a worry cycle by the number of times your mind goes back to the same subject and by your feelings in relation to that subject.

If something happens that causes concern and you find yourself feeling uncomfortable and thinking about that same subject more than three times, it's the beginning of a worry cycle. Once you're in the cycle, your stress tolerance is lowered and your happiness is severely compromised.

Letting Go of Stress: Break Free from the Worry Cycle

Escaping the cycle of worry is the only way to create a new cycle of happiness. Luckily, there are concrete strategies that you can develop to help you release your stress and focus on the things that make you happy. Like any habit, worrying is a pattern that can be broken. Because the pattern is familiar to you, it will take practice to break free from the cycle.

The following steps can help you to set a new pattern that will significantly reduce your stress and help you to stop worrying so much:

Step one: Pay attention to how you feel. We all have emotions and we have them for a reason. The discomfort that comes along with worry is a warning bell that something deeply important to us is missing in any given situation. Learn to recognize the first signs of worry before they have a chance to initiate a cycle and turn into a stressor.

Step two: Identify what you really want. As we said in step one, uncomfortable feelings are warning bells that something deeply important is missing. In order to start breaking out of the worry cycle it is essential to start identifying what you want in a situation.

Step three: Take action. There is always some kind of action you can take. When you're in action, you have less time to worry or be hopeless about things never changing.

By: Beth Banning and Neill Gibson
Not sure what action to take? If you're serious about reducing stress and are seeking personal development skills that lead to finding happiness, sign up for free our thought-provoking and motivational Weekly Action Tips eMail series at: http://www.FocusedAttention.com/cmd.php?ad=317928.
Each tip offers practical advice for creating and living the life you really want.

I was told if I learned how to meditate – I would reap all kinds of wonderful benefits! I would feel more centered – I would be more clear – I would have less stress -- I would have more focus...

OK I thought – let’s do it! So to the bookstore I went... Wow lots of books on meditation!

I ended up buying several of them and started to read. Some of this information sounded like it was for the gurus up on the mountain tops!

They were talking about how to position my body, how to position my eyes… Where my hands should be…Some said I should say a mantra – others said I should alternate breathing from each nostril…

This did not sound like it was going to be easy! I was not at all comfortable with these body positions. Now – I am aware some people like this and do these positions easily… but for me – I felt like I was twisting into a pretzel!

Remembering mantras and which nostril I was suppose to breathe with next – making sure my feet were on the floor and my back rigid and all the while I had a gazillion thoughts running around in my head.

None of this was relaxing to me – My head was even more full of thoughts – trying to remember what I was and wasn’t supposed to do. How was I ever going to find this meditative state of quieting the mind? I was ready to give up on meditation!

Then 2 things happened for me – I bought a tape program on meditating – I don’t even remember that name of it – but it said I should listen to this tape and I would reach a meditative state. It didn’t tell me how to sit or how to breathe – it just told me to get comfortable and listen.

At about the same time I read an article by Deepak Chopra. He was talking about meditation and he said that all of us will get thoughts that come into our heads while we meditate. Then he said – in between those thoughts are gaps – they are there whether we realize them or not – and those gaps are meditation. I liked what Deepak said – the message to me was that the gaps, the meditative state was/is there even if I was not aware of it. Then I popped in that tape I bought – and for the first time I actually had some relief – it only lasted a few minutes – but as Deepak said – it was there!

That is when I decided I did not need someone else’s techniques – I did not need to sit in a special position. What I needed to do was find what worked best for me… I wanted something simple and flexible. It’s now years later and I meditate on a fairly regular basis. When I say fairly regular – what I mean is I do not have a stringent schedule of meditation. Most mornings I do meditate but there are those days that I don’t. It isn’t a big deal.

I don’t have that tape anymore – but I do usually listen to a cd with soft music or nature sounds – I always sit in my comfortable reclining chair – and I do direct my attention to my breathing. So when I start having a thought – I gently redirect myself back to my breathing.

This simple way to meditate has brought me many benefits. I am calmer now – I do not have as many thoughts at one time running through my head – it is easier for me to quiet all of my thoughts. I feel that meditating has truly given me balance and the ability of focus. I am much more in tune with my own inner guidance. I feel clear and calm and balanced.

While I was very skeptical at first – after I realized I could find my own form of meditation – this whole process became easy and enjoyable.

If you want to learn how to meditate – I would highly recommend getting some information from others and trying some techniques that you learn. Then you can make a decision of what works for you – what feels comfortable for you.

When you find your own personal meditation practice – your rewards will be great as you tap into your own inner voice.

By: Ellie Walsh
Meditation is one of the Secrets of utilizing the Law of Attraction. Learn how to Deliberately Create Your Life - Visit Living the Law of Attraction ~~ http://LivingTheLawOfAttraction.com