Five (5) Steps To Take If You Have Suicidal Thoughts
Having suicidal thoughts? You’re not alone. Every day more than 120 people die by suicide in the US. This does not take into account those who had suicidal thoughts but did not act on them. As overwhelming as those thoughts can be, they can be overcome. It is important to remember that you do not have to do it alone. There are resources available both nationally and locally to help people overcome suicidal thought. Getting help to address any mental health issue or other stress that is critical to prevent a crisis situation and help
Five (5) Resources For Accessing Mental Health Information
Sometimes it’s hard to know where to go to access information. Many people being diagnosed with mental health issues have no clue where to access information. Unfortunately because so many keep it such a secret, even the people in their circle are often not much help because they don’t know that the person is facing the same issue as them. It is important that when a person receives a mental health diagnosis they know where to go to learn about their diagnosis, find treatment, get support or any other resources they may need.
1. NIMH National Institute of Mental Health nimh.nih.gov
2. NAMI National Alliance on Mental Illness nami.org
3. Mental health Associations
4. 211, 211.org
5. School guidance office
Five (5) Misconceptions About Mental Illness
People who suffer with mental illness are just like everyone else you know. In fact they ARE the people you know in your everyday life, but some in our society want you to believe differently. These are 5 things that some people believe about mental illness that are false.
Five (5) Tips For Helping A Spouse With ADD/ADHD
We are used to hearing about how to help children with ADD/ADHD, but the adults they later grow up to be get forgotten. While many children outgrow their ADD/ADHD, most of them don’t. They become adults with ADD/ADHD who go on to have regular jobs, relationships and families that can be impacted by their ADD/ADHD. While I look for a more recent source to cite, until then I will share that an NIMH funded National Comorbidity Survey Replication, estimated the prevalence of Adult ADHD at 4.4% in 2006.
I realize I am a bit long winded for ADHD, but you can catch the summary in starting at 9:22
1. Excellent organization system- With bins and color coding
2. Shared calendars
3. Plan and write things down
4. Gentle reminders but no nagging
5. Build in a time cushions- No more than 5 to 10 minutes
What To Do When You Recieve A Mental Health Diagnosed
Receiving any diagnosis is difficult. When you are unsure what to do that makes things even worse. Fortunately there are a few things you can do to begin setting your mind at ease and adjusting to your new normal.
Five (5) Steps For Preparing For The Winter Blues (Seasonal Affective Disorder, SAD)
As fall approaches and the leaves are changing many of us are enjoying the change in season, the beauty of autumn leaves and looking forward to sweater season. Unfortunately, for many others it’s reminder that their dreary season is approaching. If you suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (Winter Blues), being ready for the season is an important step to helping you conquer the season and the disorder. Preparation helps you hold off the symptoms as long as you can, and if they breakthrough, preparation ensures you have the resources the address them.
These five steps can help you be better prepared:
- Declutter and refresh your home
- Get your winter wardrobe together
- Find/begin an exercise program- the more fun the better
- Make a social commitment calendar
- Get a your support network together
Five (5) Easy Self Esteem Boosters #MHAM
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Identify the Negative message & reframe it
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Identify and show case your strengths
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Surround yourself with positivity
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Set achievable goals and reach them
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Use Affirmation
Also look at
Self esteem boost – Easy as 1-2-3
Boost your Self esteem – Nurture your talents
How to boost a man’s self esteem
#MHAM
Five (5) Stress Management Tips #MHAM
Stress management is necessary for maintaining one’s quality of life, but because “stress” is not always a visible, tangible or calculable item that can be pointed to on an imaging screen or shown on a lab result sheet, it is often over looked. Many people talk about stress but don’t actively engage in stress management. What people often neglect is the fact that failing to effectively manage stress can lead to some of the physical ailments that they will be able to see, measure and test for, such as ulcers and high blood pressure. It is also true that while “stress” is often talked about methods of managing it are not as often addressed as stress is often considered and accepted as “a part of life”. While that may be true, there are some things that can be done to reduce and manage stress, including the following:
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Exercise and Eat Well
Exercising is a great way to release tension. You can exercise to relax before things get out to hand, or if you are already feeling overwhelmed, exercising can help you release some of that pressure and give you an endorphin boost to help you get to the next step. Eating well is just as important as it provides your body with the necessary fuel to get through all that you are putting it through. It is not enough to eat to fill your stomach. Eating is about more than hunger prevention- it is the mechanism through which you support your body. Your car would stay up just fine perched up on four bricks, but I’m sure you prefer to have sitting on four tires when you park it, that way it is ready to go when you set off to your next destination. The same should apply to your body. Feed it right consistently so that it is ready to go handle your next challenge.
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Plan and Time Management
One of the greatest benefits of planning is that it allows you to in some way foresee what is to come. That gives you the opportunity to anticipate roadblocks and hiccups and put resources in place to address them. Planning helps you to manage your time more effectively and provide the opportunity to see and choose how you are investing your time.
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Delegate and Get Help
Make use of the resources available to you. There are others around who can and will take on some of the load and at time may do so even more efficiently. Take the opportunity to enlist them. When you delegate, you remove things from your plate allowing you time to focus on the things that you really do have to do. Having more to do than you have time for is another frequent source of stress. The pressure experience in trying to get it all done and feeling pressed for time can be easily managed by allow others to do their part. Many people feel the need to do it all so that it is done “their way” but you must also remember that your way is not necessarily the only way. There is a great need to make the shift from focusing on your way and to allowing simply a correct way to provide. The goal should be to have things done right, and that means accepting that there may be more than one way (your way) of doing something. Give others the opportunity to do something their way and get it right too.
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Prioritize and Pick Your Battles
Prioritize. Not just the things that you have to do but even more importantly, the things that you give your attention to. Be stingy with your mental space and emotions. Don’t just let anything and anyone in. This is one of the places that people waste most, by giving their time, attention and emotion to things that really do not matter. If a situation does not take away from you or would not possibly bring you a benefit, it may not be necessary for you to engage. The stress brought on by things that would not have affected our lives if we chose not to engage is completely avoidable. In life you will have more than your fair share of unavoidable stress, and it is up to you to keep your stress tank from over-flowing by not allowing the avoidable stresses to linger in.
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Speak Up and Talk To Someone
When a situation directly (or even indirectly but actually) affects your life, it is important to speak up and do so in a timely manner. Not speaking up doe s not make the issue go away. It simply gives it time to simmer inside you.
Managing stress effectively should create an opportunity for you to have more time to dedicate to life affirming activities. It does not matter what it is that you are doing, it simply matters that you are doing something. Engage in activities that remind you of how great life is. Take time to create and savor beautiful moments. It does not matter how much you do in your everyday life if you are not enjoying your life. Managing stress effectively helps you create opportunities to enjoy your life, so make stress management a priority.
#MHAM
Five (5) Must Haves For Adult ADD/ADHD Sufferers
Many adults now diagnosed with ADD/ADHD were once children whose needs for services was missed. Now as adults they have the diagnosis to help put a name to what they have been experiencing, but the is still a need to implement changes to help them manage the symptoms and make adjustments help them learn excel.
Every adult with ADD/ADHD should have
- A psychiatrist
- A therapist
- An accountability partner
- Technology
- A strong schedule/Plan/Organization system
Stop Giving Your Jerky Friend A Pass: Five (5) Things That Are Not A Mental Illness
In recent years, many people have adopted, accepted or acquiesced to the use of various mental illnesses to define or describe unacceptable behaviors. It’s fine that you don’t want to call your friend a jerk, but why should people with mental illness bear the burden of being associated with them.
Certain illnesses such as bipolar disorder, mental retardation have been so unfairly used in place of words like stupid, idiot. People describe behaviors as psychotic instead of rude, erratic, aggressive or plain old jerky. We don’t associate negative behaviors with physical ailments, and the same should apply to mental ailments. You don’t say someone is a heart attack when they say something ridiculous, so why would anyone think it’s acceptable to say that they are mentally retarded. If you won’t say your jerky friend is a tumor, why would be suitable to say freely that he’s bipolar.
People who suffer from mental illnesses have enough of their own troubles to deal with. They don’t to be lumped in with the rude, the ignorant or the uncaring jerks of the world. So next time you need to define a behavior, please use your words correctly. Call someone a stupid idiot or a rude jerk if they deserve it, but don’t offend people with mental illnesses by putting them in the same category.
Five (5) Tips For Fighting Seasonal Affective Disorder (Winter Blues)
Every year thousands of Americans experience Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) also known as the Winter Blues. It is a form of depression that is generally experienced during the winter months when days are shorter, darker and dreary. On average, 6% of the population experience this in various ranges every year. Fortunately, there are somethings that an individual can to help combat Seasonal Affective Disorder or help a friend who battles the Winter blues.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a form of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) that a person suffers during a particular season. Nationally, 6% of the population can be affected with a degree of this disorder, ranging from as low as 1% in the sunnier states to close to 10% in the states with the longer winter. This statistic shows that while SAD is more common in the winter and more prevalent in the areas with longer more dreary winters, but it is not limited to those areas. These seasonal disorders are different from a regular diagnosis of MDD in that they are only present during the specified season and can at times be relieved even without treatment as the season changes- that being said, you don’t leave them unaddressed and wait for the season to change because they can progress to an ongoing depression or other mood disorders. The intensity of the depression also can be too intense to just wait it out. People experiencing major depression endure severe symptoms that get in the way of their daily functioning and as is common with depression, suicidal thoughts, ideation and even behaviors are possible. If for more than two weeks you are feeling the symptoms of depression or noticing them in a loved one you should be looking at ways to help or getting help.
While I have posted other pieces on depression that include ways to help through depression it is important remember that professional services can be an invaluable resource to help alleviate and even eliminate the symptoms . When dealing with depression it is important to get help and do so right away because ignoring it only gives it time to get more intense. While minor episodes may be worked out through some active efforts at home, you need to be alert and attentive to notice when it is more than you can handle and need to get professional help.
It’s your life- Take control.
Dream Big… Live Bigger…
DrJudiC
