Natural Treatment for Anxiety and Depression; My Trial Treatment

When seeking treatment for any given medical condition, depression and anxiety included; I am quite sure many of us have gone through various medical treatment options before finding success. My daughter has been through a minimum of four different prescription changes alone. At best she has stabilized, but has yet to recover. In a world where prescriptions are as numerous as the people who are being treated with them, what we have concluded is not every treatment works best for everybody. At every turn in the road someone seems to have an opinion about what they seem to believe works. What I have noticed works well is a variable of treatment options that can be combined to achieve optimum results. In a recent publication of our local Sunday paper, I happened to stumble upon an article regarding treatment for depression in pregnant women. The article concluded that no treatment at all, had an over all more devastating affect, than risks posed to an unborn fetus provided mother is closely monitored while taking prescribed treatment. Careful consideration is given, with regard to cases of devastating and recurring depression and suicidal thoughts. The guidelines also stress the importance of psychotherapy and emphasize that psychotherapy may be best and should be offered. Psychotherapy will be helpful in cases in which psychological factors like skewed thought patterns are identified to have caused depression. In such cases, psychotherapy or counseling will work better if there is good understanding and a solid rapport between the counselor and the patient. Depending on the severity of the disorder, long and frequent counseling sessions may be necessary due to the patient’s distorted thought patterns. Thought patterns, personal relationships, and low self-esteem must be corrected; giving particular attention to the level of self-love, additionally, stress has to be lowered or eliminated. The most important thing is the method of approach the counselor brings, as well as, the counselor-patient relationship.
Rehabilitation of individuals with various types of mental illness is a family and social responsibility. Attempts to treat mental illness by drugs alone will not be successful. For this reason, the stigma that is associated with mental illnesses has to be discarded. Loved ones must not discriminate against people with mental illness because this can make the problem worse. Love and support is the best way to start looking toward a cure. Research and treatment have made tremendous strides over the past decades, in light of previously used primitive treatment methods. However, I do not know anyone who has been through the long and difficult road back to health, personally or with a loved one, that does not believe that we still have a miles to go. As our family has endured numerous personal challenges of the most extreme, compounded with the demand of our daughters mental illness; I have personally battled with varying degrees of anxiety from mild to more severe. While I do not share my daughters' same mental illness struggles, anxiety is not a frivolous matter. It has caused me many a sleepless night with the only end result being complete exhaustion the next day. My symptoms have differed from shortness of breath, nausea, headaches, tension , and irritability. At the advice of my family doctor, who herself had positive results with Zoloft during pregnancy, I tried anti-anxiety medication on two consecutive occasions. I took Zoloft for a total of eight weeks with no success. I returned to the physician suffering from the same effects only to be recommended to Cymbalta which I proceed to take for another four weeks. Cymbalta conceded to be more harsh than the previous medication. My experience with anti-anxiety medication concluded that, for me, the side effects of the medication were worse than the actual anxiety and made no difference in my anxiety symptoms. My side effects varied from severe headaches, dizziness, indigestion, and fatigue, among others. My best results were achieved with meditation, breathing exercises and relaxation music. I am beginning a new alternative treatment program to help with my anxiety symptoms, I will keep you all posted over the next couple of weeks in regard to my degree of success. If anyone has had success or failure with either medication or any additional treatment please leave feed-back with blog. We are looking for feed-back on any type of mental illness. God bless you and may you have the best of luck in your medical seekings.

Count Your Blessings

I hope this post does not chase anyone off, but I chose to blog on Prayer and blessings. How often do we actually sit down and say thank you for what life has given us? How often do we say thank you for the blessings in our life. I'm sure you can think of just one thing to say thank you for. This long and challenging week, I realized I did have one thing to be thankful for. My husband just found out the results of his cancer scan. His scan came back negative for cancer. Wow, what a relief! After reflecting further, I realized I was thankful for two things. Mental illness can present a lot of challenges, but one thing that may not come to mind often, is just being alive. Just the other day, my daughter informed me that a young man she meet while in the hospital, died of a drug overdose. Additionally, a young woman she also met while hospitalized, has returned to self mutilation. That must be real painful for the family to watch helplessly as a family member injures them self. I recall seeing the extremely large scars on her arms as my daughter introduced us to her. I guess I should thank God my husband is still alive and for the most part, after two surgeries and radiation is doing rather well. I might also add ,that for the most part my daughter is doing better than some of the others we have encountered during her stay at the hospital. For the majority of Americans, Thanksgiving day is about the only time when we think about what’s actually important in life and why we should count our blessings. Happiness in life is not about material possessions or money. Happiness is first and foremost found in a certain comforting fact. That when our time has come to leave this life, we will spend the last moment we have alive on this earth, surrounded by the ones we love. It is about going through one of the most difficult challenges we have ever been through, such as mental illness and knowing we are not alone. Honestly, not everyone can say that. Our family visited my daughter regularly, during the four months she was hospitalized every other day, at times more often than that. We made the nearly hour long trip, during the only visitation time available, during rush hour traffic, from 6 to 8 pm. During her stay there, there was a particular young man that no mater how often we visited, never had one single person come by the entire four months. My daughter informed me no one ever came to see him, as so did the staff. It is the small everyday things that so very often the majority of us take for granted. We are all blessed, in some manner or other, no matter what walk of life we come from. We should all pray and count our blessings, and say thank you for what we have instead of focusing on what we do not have. For those who are recovering from a serious illness, prayer can be a powerful form of therapy and treatment, itself. It is a proven fact, that seriously ill patients who pray before beginning any type of treatment or surgery have better results afterwards. There have actually been many studies conducted on the subject of prayer in relation to the field of medicine and it's effect on patients. From the moment you awaken you should give thanks for what you have, waking up beside your partner whom you cherish and love, turning to them and saying “thank you” makes a great start to the day “Thank you” for loving me, for being there for me, just for being you”.This is the person you cherish and who you are lucky enough to wake up beside every morning. This alone makes you one of the most blessed people on earth and is good enough reason to count your blessings each and every morning. I don't disagree, that in this most difficult time we all are going through. Given an unstable economy, higher divorce rates, foreclosures, higher incidents of suicide, and job loss just to name a few. With all of these occurrences triggering a higher incident of depression and mental illness; it can be real hard to say a prayer of thanks. If mental illness is your current challenge, think for a moment, how lucky you are, to be alive and going through treatment for an illness in the first place. The most wonderful blessings in life can be found in the small things. I am absolutely sure we can all recall a few small blessings. I know I can add a few to my list, such as, being greeted by a favorite pet, the sunshine and fresh air, running into an old friend, smelling the flowers in our garden, a slice of our favorite pie. There are many things that happen throughout your day which we don’t pay attention to but truly are blessings, some can even occur as blessings in disguise. What is important is to be more aware of what is happening in our lives and appreciate all the little things that can often slip by us without giving them too much thought. Remember most of all, often it is the smallest things in life that can bring us the most happiness. To quote singer Edwin Mccain, these are the moments I thank God that I’m alive, these are the moments, I’ll remember all my life. God Bless all.

Life's purpose

I decided to write about, having a life purpose, as it is something I have contemplated from time time. Most, recently, since my daughter became mentally ill. More specifically, what exactly is my life purpose? I ponder about my life purpose, and where I fit in regarding her mental illness. I wonder, does she ever think about her life purpose? I am quite certain she is concerned about her life's purpose. Frequently, she will discuss various goals that she has. Thinking about your life's purpose can pose a variable of responses. Having a sense of purpose in your life goes a long way in helping your self confidence. Believing you have a life's purpose not only helps your confidence level, but affects your level of happiness as well. Where the challenge exists is, as an individual is going through the different healing stages of mental illness, it may not seem as if they have a purpose for their life. You may be on a leave from your job or school as my daughter is. Or quite simply, you can not resume all of your same activities as you used to before becoming ill. You can feel as if your life has no purpose or meaning, when in reality it may take some time to recover and adjust to any medication and medical treatment. You have just as much of a purpose in life as the next person. Just as much purpose as someone raising awareness about conflict diamonds, adopting 5or 6 children from a foreign county or helping to raise funds for the rain forest. Additionally, in these challenging times there can be a lot of outside influences to challenge your confidence and happiness, however, a sense of purpose can be created by any life experience. Your life's experience can be related to your career, a school accomplishment, doing volunteer work, or bringing up a family. Having a mental illness does not mean life stops and certainly does not have any affect on your purpose in life. It all directly relates to feeling you are making a difference in life. You can still be a great parent, you just need to make adjustments. Perhaps, your life purpose can be your valuable contribution to an organization such as, cancer society or autism foundation. Your purpose can be helping raise funds for important research. You are reaching your life's goal or making a contribution to society if you have a sense of purpose in life and you have something to look forward to everyday. You have a reason for getting up out of bed in the morning, reason to smile. It leads to a more confident person who is happy in life. Most young adults seem to have no problem developing a purpose in life. They are just starting out and most young adults are in college, starting careers, building friendships, dating, marrying, or starting families. The majority of the younger generation have a lot to look forward to and reason for a great sense of purpose in life. However, the older we get the more we have reason to start wondering about our purpose in life. The children have grown, friends may have moved, you may have retired. It can now begin to feel as if you no longer have a purpose in life. A set back, such as lingering health issues like mental illness can make you feel as if you have no life purpose. For some or us it may just be time to develop a new sense of purpose and learn new ways to accomplish this. Here are some examples listed below.

*Start a new hobby and do something you have always wanted to do. Consider going to your local senior center and volunteering to teach your craft there. Help raise a community garden as it beautifies your local landscape and feeds families, free or cheap.


*Get a new pet, pets are also good for curing loneliness and helping with depression, as well as can be trained to help individuals with disabilities live independently.

*Join a club, there are many social clubs which let people meet on a regular basis and enjoy coffee and socializing. A lot of these groups have activities you can take part in and outings to attend. It is very important to form positive connections Additionally, many clubs are very involved with the general public and have programs targeted giving back to the community. My daughter used to belong to the "stand by me club" in junior high. It is a club that mentors peers and encourages positive role models. The children, who are either physically or mentally handicapped, pair with another non-handicapped student who helps them out around school and they both make a new friend.

*Join a gym, or running club, learn tennis or bowling, additionally, are numerous types of exercise that are not overly strenuous i.e. pilates or water aerobics. Exercise aids in curing depression.Try your hand at a new sport, when you feel confident mentor a child of a single parent.

*Begin working with a volunteer group. Some meet on a daily basis and some meet weekly. Do what ever you are comfortable with. First, it gives you a sense of purpose and second, gets you out of the house. We volunteer at both our local homeless shelter, and at the American Veterans club. We have a personal interest in both organizations. Despite her mental illness my daughter has always enjoyed volunteering. She has stated it makes her feel good to help people.

*Take a part time job that you can handle, even if it is a few hours per week. It gets you out and meeting new people. You never know who is in the same boat as you and you can make new friends just about anywhere. It is never to late to make a meaningful contribution to the workplace.

*Never dismiss the idea of dating and get back into meeting the opposite sex again. It is never too late to start a new relationship. Most importantly, research has proven individuals who have a significant other have a more healthy mental attitude and live longer than their single counterparts. You never know just how much of a difference you make to someone, just by being in their life.

Self-Esteem

This weeks post, I am writing about self-worth and the impact low self esteem has on our lives. Low self-esteem seems to be a common thread among people addressing the challenges of mental illness. Additionally, my daughter who is facing challenges with mental illness has battled self-esteem issues. My goal in writing this post is to see my daughter, as well as others, embrace their individuality and to focus on their strengths. Many individuals facing challenges of mental illness have achieved great accomplishments and surpassed many goals. An example of a quality to be proud of is my daughter has a great singing voice and has participated in chorus and choir events. It is crucial to healing to, minimize your weaker areas, work toward self acceptance, and understand the diversity among humans. We are all beautiful and many of you have great talents; as you all have a lot to offer life. As you all probably know by now from my Twitter, I love quotes. Already in my post, is my absolute favorite quote, from Mahatma Ghandhi. "You must be the change you want to see in the world." I love those little bits of wisdom. A token of discernment and cognizance, suspended in time, forever, a memento of history. Like history speaking to us; some one's grandfather, grandmother, father, or mother, reminding us when values mattered. Quotes make us think about resilience, humility, and substance. This is about value of others and values of oneself. To exude self esteem, one must make an honest attempt to embody authenticity. To honestly capture the essence of self esteem, you must have willingness for transition. Andy Warhol was once quoted saying, "They say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself." Realizing your value and self-worth have nothing to do with how much money you have, how many toys you own, or what type of job you hold. You realize, it is about you. It is in direct relation to the person you are in life. If you have a healthy sense of self worth you tend to give others respect, love, and consideration. But how often do we give ourselves what is due? How you value yourself is based on the self-esteem you have. Your self-esteem shows you how much you truly value yourself and your relationship with others. A healthy self-esteem encourages, happiness, independence, flexibility, and the ability to adapt easily to change. Healthy self esteem is congruent with a positive outlook on Life. Unhealthy or low self-esteem on the other hand, encourages fear, unhappiness, defensiveness and illogical thoughts. It creates a negative outlook on life. Our image of ourselves has a lot to do with how others see us. If we are smiling, content, and radiate confidence, then we are someone others want to be around. If we respect ourselves, then others will also respect you. Identifying and strengthening your self-worth is all about developing your self-esteem. Below are the parallels of self esteem.

*High self-esteem*

If you have a high self-esteem you will see certain traits in yourself. Qualities associated with a high self-esteem or self-worth is.
* You are secure about who you are.
* You are confident in your abilities.
* You are comfortable being yourself around others.
*You don’t have challenges with intimacy in relationships.
*You forgive yourself for mistakes and also forgive others.

*Low self-esteem*

There are certain thought patterns and behaviours associated with low self-esteem. Identifying and reverting those qualities you see in yourself is the key to a new beginning.
* You lack belief in yourself.
* You are very insecure.
*You have problems showing and accepting intimacy in relationships
* You never show your true feelings.
* You never recognize and give yourself credit for your accomplishments.
* You have the inability to forgive yourself or others.
*You are very resistant to change

*Developing your self-worth*

Below you will find tips for developing and boosting your self-worth, as you work toward a more positive and healthy you.

* Don’t take Constructive criticism to heart.
* Instead find the lesson to be learned from it.
* Take time out for yourself.
* Realize your have good qualities.
* Change your less positive qualities into positive ones.
* Pride yourself on all your achievements and accomplishments.
* Do something you enjoy; take a walk in nature, enjoy an ice cream sundae, surround yourself with people who love and appreciate you.
* Do not focus on negative thoughts and feelings.