Soothing yourself in depression

I got an email from a friend for me to look at this:

Press the “stop” button on negative mental tapes. Do you catch yourself ruminating on the worst that could happen (“The insurance company won’t pay, my friends won’t help and I’ll wind up living on the street”)? Replace that “awfulizing” refrain in your head with a more realistic scenario (“My premiums are paid and I can stay with my cousin while my home is being repaired”). Also, remind yourself of a past challenge that you faced successfully as you inwardly repeat the mantra, “I survived that, so I can survive this, too.” As a physical reminder, write your mantra on an index card and stick it in your pocket—then take it out and read it whenever negative thoughts threaten to overwhelm you.
Trim your to-do list. The idea is to make the rest of your life as stress-free as possible while you concentrate on the big challenge at hand. Cancel or postpone obligations that add to your burden…request that family and friends make fewer demands on your time, at least temporarily…take a mental-health day off from work if you can. There will be certain things you can’t let go of, of course—but you can always find some wiggle room in your schedule.
Be as kind to yourself as you would to a loved one. “It’s common to focus on our own flaws while ignoring our strong points, then berate ourselves inwardly for our weaknesses,” Dr. Block noted. To halt that stress-expanding habit, speak to yourself in the third person, showering yourself with the same care and compassion that you would show to a troubled friend. Example: Rather than chiding yourself to “stop being a big baby,” tell yourself, “Life is hard just now, so it’s OK to feel unsettled. Remember that you have many fine qualities—strength, persistence, intelligence—that will help you through.” Then close your eyes and visualize yourself moving through your struggle successfully, utilizing your wealth of inner resources.
Source: Joel Block, PhD, is a senior psychologist at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, New York and an assistant clinical professor of psychology/psychiatry at the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine in Hempstead, New York. He also is the author of more than 20 books, including Saving My Life: A Least Likely to Succeed Success Story. www.DrBlock.com

Herbs and Stress

In an effort to combat the stress that brings on a bout of depression, I have read up on herbs, and came across this information on several herbs:

Herbs to Help You Defeat Holiday Stress
Most of us look forward to the holidays. It’s a time for family, friends and planning for the new year. But it can also be a season of stress. There’s so much to accomplish… but very little time. And wintry weather can make completing your to-do list nearly impossible.
Wouldn’t it be great if there were a simple way to beat year-end stress?
There is. In fact, there are several. And today, I’ll share a few stress-busting herbs that can help you deal with holiday stress.
Panax ginseng is one of the best known – and best studied – herbs. It’s been a part of the Chinese herbal tradition for many centuries. And with good reason.
Ginseng is a potent adaptogen. That is, an herb that helps your body deal with stress. One way it works is by promoting lower levels of your body’s main stress hormone, cortisol.1 When your cortisol levels go down, your body switches into “recovery mode,” allowing you to relax and feel less tense.
Schisandra isn’t as well known as ginseng, but it may be even more effective at helping you beat stress. This Asian shrub produces a lovely reddish blossom and a fruit known in China as “five flavor fruit.”
Russian studies suggest it has positive effects on your heart, nerves, blood vessels, and immune system. They’ve found schisandra promotes feelings of relaxation, as well as supporting greater endurance, mental sharpness and working capacity.2
You can find Panax ginseng and schisandra at health food stores and online.
If you’re fond of a cup of tea, chamomile can help you relax. It’s especially effective before bedtime. But chamomile’s taste reminds many people of straw.
A better choice for a relaxing cup of tea might be another flower – passionflower. Studies show it’s very effective at helping you de-stress.
Passionflower encourages less tension, restlessness and irritablility.3 Australian researchers have found it promotes better sleep.4 And doctors in Turkey have even used passionflower to help patients relax before surgery.5
Passionflower is readily available in several forms – including as a tea.
Aromatherapy is another effective way to de-stress. Lavender is well known for its relaxing properties. A hot, lavender-scented bath is a wonderful way to pamper yourself as you feel the stress just melt away.
But don’t be fooled by its delicate scent. Lavender is powerful stuff.
In a recent study, doctors at United Hospital in St. Paul exposed some patients waiting for surgery to lavender oil. These patients felt less nervous about their surgeries than patients who weren’t exposed to lavender oil.6
Another calming essential oil I enjoy is orange. Like lavender, it promotes a sense of calmness and ease. Austrian researchers exposed dental patients to the scent of orange in the waiting room. These patients were far more relaxed about their upcoming dental appointments than a second group not exposed to orange.7
A great way to use orange is to put a fresh, torn-up orange peel and a crushed cinnamon stick into a pan with 3 or 4 cups of water. Then simmer the contents on the stovetop – being careful not to let the water boil all the way down.
Soon your house will fill with a warm holiday scent that also promotes relaxation and feelings of calm.

Brother John

I have suffered from my brother not caring to admit that I exist.It is his attitude. I believe he is stressed out and suffers allergies and things as I do, but he keeps it inside and becomes cold towards all people,especially family. To those who could help him. So I have to survive and I turn away from the relationship and move on. I can not get emotional support from him, nor financial either, so it will remain a purely surface relationship for now. I admired him growing up. Admired his degrees, learning, ability to make money, security and self-confidence. But not coldness, lack of emotion, empathy, and soul. I care for him deeply. but in this latest bout with the disease of depression, I have learned that a disease that is not seen, is not understood by the unempathic and logical people of this family. But to survive, one must not hold on to the things of childhood, but cast them aside if they are in the way of moving on,

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Norepinephrine

It seems that a clue has been laid on my doorstep. I mean I have severe allergies, probably always have. Now, in this senerio I have depression worse when the allergies are in full swing, Now enter in the epi-pen, a device that shoots adrenaline into the blood when I encounter severe reactions. Could the mere spelling be there as only a coincidence, or is there another reason? Norepinephrine  Here is an article on the neurotransmitter.


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Norepinephrine (INN) (abbreviated norepi or NE) is the US name for noradrenaline (BAN) (abbreviated NA orNAd), a catecholamine with multiple roles including as a hormone and a neurotransmitter.^[3] Areas of the body that produce or are affected by norepinephrine are described as noradrenergic.

The terms noradrenaline (from the Latin) and norepinephrine (derived from Greek) are interchangeable, with noradrenaline the common name in most parts of the world. However, to avoid confusion and achieve consistency medical authorities have promoted norepinephrine as the favoured nomenclature, and this is the term used throughout this article.

One of the most important functions of norepinephrine is its role as the neurotransmitter released from thesympathetic neurons affecting the heart. An increase in norepinephrine from the sympathetic nervous system increases the rate of contractions.^[4]

As a stress hormone, norepinephrine affects parts of the brain, such as the amygdala, where attention and responses are controlled.^[5] Along with epinephrine, norepinephrine also underlies the fight-or-flight response, directly increasing heart rate, triggering the release of glucose from energy stores, and increasing blood flow toskeletal muscle. It increases the brain's oxygen supply.^[6] Norepinephrine can also suppress neuroinflammationwhen released diffusely in the brain from the locus coeruleus.^[7]

When norepinephrine acts as a drug it increases blood pressure by increasing vascular tone (tension of muscles) through α-adrenergic receptor activation. The resulting increase in vascular resistance triggers a compensatory reflex that overcomes the direct homeostatic effect of that increase on the heart, called thebaroreceptor reflex, which otherwise would result in a drop in heart rate called reflex bradycardia.

Norepinephrine is synthesized from dopamine by dopamine β-hydroxylase.^[8] It is released from the adrenal medulla into the blood as a hormone, and is also a neurotransmitter in the central nervous system andsympathetic nervous system where it is released from noradrenergic neurons in the locus coeruleus. The actions of norepinephrine are carried out via the binding to adrenergic receptors.

Stress, Self Esteem, Trust

In order to stabilize myself and run my life I have to realize that things are as stressful as I permit them to be. I can dwell on them, repeating them in my mind and I get more and more depressed. Toxic thoughts cause stress and are hard to control unless one deliberately replaces the negative thoughts with the positive. A favorite bible passage usually works. The Lord will perfect all that concerns me (Psalm 138:8). Fill your mind with it. Every negative thought must be fought. Refuse to dwell on the situation and the situation diminishes.
Another way to handle stress is to have a quiet time with God. In times past work and it's rewards were more important than God. Family time was left unattended to. Yes,  run run run, and all for the promise of what, a paycheck ? Yes we all do it. We are to have balance as well.  I did it for all the regular reasons, house,car, food (lol). Dread of being  unemployed, etc.
God says develop a relationship with Him and He will provide--for everything.  That is what the quite time with Him is for.
Being creative is another way to stop stress. One must take that time to create. Cook, paint,  write, sculpt.  Any creative thing. It is as important as eating correctly.
Exercise, each day. It eliminates toxins, oxygenates the brain. I couldn't get any benefit from it for the longest time because I had no energy from eating the wrong foods all the time.  Allergic reaction to foods and the increased inflammation  from that caused and still causes fatigue.
God has given me the message that I am to take care of my physical health first and right next to that, not below it, my closeness to Him. If I do this and not worry about anything else He will provide and I will proser.
Self esteem is related to stress in that the amount of things that I get done, the higher my self esteem sores. But the more I get done the more tasks I  take on.   Pushing myself to do more causes more stress.    Catch 22. That is what I am working on constantly. Why do I have to obtain self love from working myself to death. Knowing that I am alright with out the always run run attitude is the answer. God says that I am more than all of this. He loves me and has a plan just for me, and He will put the plan in place at the time of His choosing.
Trust is another component in the mixture. Trust God to do what He says He will do.  He will protect you, loves you, wants only good for you. After prayer, discussion with friends, you must trust yourself, your vision, and when God answers you, trust that answer.

Stress of the Spring

Spring time with it's whirlwind of things to do, people visiting, bad weather, long hours at work, well sometimes it gets me down. But I am determined that I am going to stay out of the hospital this year. When I did my taxes for this past year, I realized that for 09 and 10 I was in the hospital for overnight stays. Stressful times can be managed in other ways and I am looking to probiotics and the Lord to help me get through.
Funny combination? No not really. I have an immunity problem. The flora in my gut are not what they should be. I am taking probiotics in huge amounts. Each time I take them the stress and depression ease away. Also the Spiritual side of things helps. The Lord will perfect that which concerns me.

It is the same thing each and every time this happens. Popping ears, blurry eyes, private parts burning, hemorrhoids flaring up, bad balance. and the depression comes. So I double dose on supplements, reduce the stress as much as possible, and try to disconnect. Period. For at least three days. More if possible. And increase to three times a week on the chiropractic. It is mandatory that this approach be done. 

How to handle the world and stress

My friend, Mary wrote that she was depressed. Things getting to her.
I feel that way each and every morning at stretches at a time. But here is what I told her.
I think and pray for you daily. Right now with the detox and sensitivities from the food, my thought processes are unstable at times. They are getting better. So the world situation seems too much for me to handle so I realize that the Lord will handle it for me. He will tell me what to do, when to do it and stabilize me emotionally when I feel it crushing me. That is how I have been able to take care of me, David and my mom for so long. Because God has said that He would never forsake me. He won't forsake you either. So hang in there kid. Strap yourself in its gonna be a bumpy ride

Having a down time, posted at work

I think that this illness makes me process incoming information (stress) as overwhelming, as if I can't handle it all even though it is coming in at just slightly above normal. I at times feel weaker because of this, all most to a state of panic. I think that over the years I have have mistrained my brain to accept this state of affairs and give into it.

(This type of thought process is known as Automatic Negative Thoughts, or ANT, and there are ways to combat that. Sally-Anne McCormack author of Stomp out the Ants.)

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Not heard from Dr. Sadek

Well, it has been a week and I have not heard from the neurologist Dr. Sadek. I am not overly worried about it, but I would like the matter to be settled. I have noticed some psychologically different ways of looking at problems. You could call it a watching game. I watch how my mind deals with problems. I am trying to learn how to address different stressors in my life. I have always dealt with them with the depression. I pushed myself through them, getting more and more stressed, and then crashing in more depression. Then it would take a few days to recover and the cycle would start over again. I am now taking a mental health day. Changing, for that day the frantic way I rush through life. Just for that day. If I need to do something, for just that day I will put it off. For this day I will choose what I do, because I want to do it, not because it has to be done. Period. Hell can freeze over, but I will choose what I do, when I do it. If I want to go somewhere out of the ordinary and have lunch, well, so be it. And I will do this until my sense of balance comes back. I want to be in control of the stress, not it in control of me!
So if I take a day off from cooking, caring for my mom, cleaning, running my small business, going to my job, so be it. And if I want to do this more often than in the past, so be it. I must learn a balance. So what if other people seem to be flying past me in "success". My success is my mental and physical health, the money thing, well it has to come later.
I have noticed in my life that I push myself to make more money, or try to, work hard at the idea and get stressed, the yeast gets to over grow and causes mental illness, I then suffer the defeatism and lack to self esteem that comes with the depression and I withdrawal from the project. I have gained much from the actual learning of the project, how to do it, what to do in solving that kind of problem in that situation, but I seem to gain no monetary value from it. I learn from the whole process though, and in the learning is the success. Then I tell others of the experience. Learning and teaching and helping others, not money, is success. At least it seems that way for me. So why the stress?
There is a system of letting go of stress. It the Sedona Method. Hale Dowskin is the guy leading the movement. Another is prayer. Just let God be your buddy. Tell Him, look, I can't deal with this anymore. Do your best, and let God do the rest. The principal thought of letting go must be practiced from moment to moment. So that all through the day you are decreasing the stress not accumulating it. It is a type of meditation to do this. A type of prayer. After all if God is your buddy what can stand against you?

The new setting for the VNS implant

On February tenth I had the implant turn up to 1.75 every two hours. the next day I had a dental appointment. The Dentist stayed in my mouth for one hour and ten minutes. I ended up crying and being sick for a day and a half. The next week, on the 18th he did only about 15 min of work and I skipped going on the 25th. It has been this stress that has kept me from going down further and faster from the drugs. Now the level is 60 cymbalta, 200 Provigil, 15 Paxil. When I am resting, or have relatively little stress my brain tingles. It is that feeling that I get when it know that I my brain is in a healthly zone. I can handle things better.
The teeth problems will continue for a while, so I will do the teeth appointments every other week.
(All this teeth work needed antibiotics, which caused more problems with depression because they further messed up my digestion by killing the flora in my intestines that provide for the digestion and immunity functions of the body-editor)

Scheduling screw-up

There has been some kind of scheduling mishap with the surgeons office and I am endeavoring to straighten it out. Called them this morning and got put into the voice mail system. So hurry up and wait.
Medication failure yesterday. No motivation to do anything. Slept for 3 hours. Ate nothing but cereals and cookies and chocolate. What a bummer to the diet. Today I will have another go at it.
I believe that the job itself is very stressful. Noise beyond belief, crying babies, fireworks all combine to make it very loud and aggravating. Distractions and interruptions as well. Over the years I have tried to develop a tolerance for the situation, but it has not worked and I need to address this problem. I think that the situation would be nearly the same in any other job. Different place for work, different stressors would emerge and I would have that environment to deal with.
Maybe after the implant I will see things a bit differently, don't know, and really don't expect it.

A call in the night

Got home last night to find the doctor's number on the voice mail. Dr. Corbyon. And a call from Cheryl. I have everything set up, but there might be a hitch some where. So today I will call.
Taking more of the medications has helped immensely but I know it will be at a cost later on. At least the thoughts of bloody knives and car accidents have stopped. Migraines are still here daily. I have stopped crying on a daily basis.
I listened to the support call on this past Tuesday. I have gained some hope.
Another thing that helps me is that I tell myself stories that I make up on the spot. I do this on the ride home from work. Stories of adventure, sci-fi, fantasy. Some are stories that mirror what is going on in my life. Some are pure fantasy. It diverts the mind, enhances the creative mind and in so doing releases serotonin. By the time I get home, I feel great. This is while I am on four meds. I can imagine what it would like without the meds. No thoughts other than horror scenes and terror screams.
I think the provigil is doing a stress number on my heart. I seem to have a little pain that I can not explain right over that area since I upped the dosage.
My upper back is in stress, all knotted up. I know that the meds help control the level of stress that I feel in the body and they control the fibermyalgia that I have because of the depression, but why, on a higher dose are the knots in the back not controlled?
I still have food cravings as well. Junk food rules, starchy, salty, anything goes.
At least I am not at the chocolate stage. When nothing helps but chocolate, God help me. Chocolate triggers, I believe, serotonin, or one of the amino acids that makes up what I need in the brain. but by the time that strikes me I am pretty low.

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To Edna about daughter Elaine.

About Elaine:
Mysterious aches are probably not in her head. She maybe very sensitive to stress and the stressors bring on the depression, moodiness, irritability and This is biological in nature. Her body and mind maybe trying to adjust to the stressors, but she may not have the amount of serotonin that she needs to soothe over the aches and pains that she has from the stress. She is not crazy. Just let her know that no matter what is wrong with her that I still believe in her. What she perceives as pain is real pain and is coming from her ability to be sensitive to aspects of life that the rest of us can't even perceive. This point must be brought up and discussed. It is, if I am right, a disease that will carry on for life. It is how she is. Period.
If I am right, she should be on a steady flow of antidepressants. Or she may be able to change up her diet to help. But just diet and exercise may not be enough.
That's all for now.

(Elaine passed away October 12-13 2010, unknown causes-editor)

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Letter to Misao

Depression wise I am looking into getting a pace maker for the brain. It is a therapy known as VNS. It sends pulses to the brain and stimulates it in the mood area. It is hopeful to help with the long term treatment of the illness. As it is now I am on the highest amounts of 4 drugs and I still have bouts of depression..It stems from stress. When under huge amounts of stress, the migraines come and so does the depression. Only problem is that I can withstand very little stress before the depression starts. Even loud noises are stressors. So, I await this new procedure and will see what it can do. I can not just give up on life because it stresses me too much. I have to try to manage the disease and put myself in charge of the stressors and eliminate them the best way I can.

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