So how do you snap out of it and get back into the game?  How do you come back when all the world seems to be fighting against you?  Here are 5 tips that might help:

Number 1:  Don’t fight it alone.  The first instinct when you get depressed is to seek isolation but that’s the worst thing you can do.  Find someone you can share your problems, your fears,  and your feelings with – which brings me to the next tip:

Number 2:  Verbalize your depression.  Try “talking” to your depression.  Describe it to a friend or loved one.  What does it feel like?  What “color” is it?  Where does it come from?  Focusing  on trying to verbally describe your depression can actually make you forget you’re depressed.  If you don’t have a friend handy, try writing your description in a notebook or journal.

Number 3:  Don’t label yourself.  Don’t say or think “I’m depressed.”  No you’re not.  You might feel depressed.  You might look depressed.  You might even act depressed but you are not depression personified so don’t pin that label on yourself.  Saying “I’m feeling depressed” tells your subconscious that your current state is a just a feeling and like all feelings, will soon pass.  (NOTE:  I am not talking about clinical depression here.  If you have been diagnosed with depression, make sure you follow your doctor’s instructions at all times.)

Number 4:  Take care of your body.  Don’t neglect proper exercise and diet and by all means, stay away from the junk food.  You might think that ice cream or chocolate cake will make you feel better but it’s not doing your body any favors.  Taking a walk or doing in some light exercise or yard work will actually release endorphins that will help chase away depression.

Number 5:  Exhibit gratitude.  When you begin to feel depressed about what you don’t have, that’s the time to start focusing on what you do have.  You need to write these down in order for this to work.  Don’t just casually list out loud what you’re thankful for because it won’t have the same impact.  You need to not only hear yourself say that you’re grateful for something, you really need to see it in writing.  Your body needs to really feel the motion of writing it down.  This more than anything will help to put whatever is causing your depression in perspective.  The more things you can list that you’re really grateful for, the weaker and weaker your depression will become.

Depression can hit anyone, at any time, for any reason.  It might pass through like a dark cloud or it might decide to stay a while.  If it does, use these tips to get yourself back in the game of Life.

Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach andPersonal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

P.S.  Be sure to get my latest Fitness Blueprint called “Little Things That Improve Your Health.”  This ebook is packed with loads of helpful information on how to build a better body and you can get it FREE – no email, no cookies, no catch.  Download and enjoy!

Email Me:  Hiram Perez   

Technorati Tags: depression, depressed, health, emotions, emotional,  gratitude, life

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Happiness Is Not “Somewhere Out There”

Happiness is not something external that pops into your life unexpectedly, although it can certainly seem that way at times.  It’s not something that someone brings and shares with you, although that can sometimes be the case.  In fact, happiness is something that you already have.  It’s something that’s already inside of you.  It just may be hidden underneath a lot of personal and emotional baggage that you insist on carrying around for some reason.

What Keeps Happiness Under Wraps

What kind of personal junk can keep happiness hidden and undiscovered?  What kind of emotional baggage can prevent happiness from taking center stage in our lives?  Some obvious things (in no particular order) include the following:

1. Waiting for happiness to come to you.  I’ve already mentioned this in the second paragraph but it bears repeating.  Happiness is not something external.  It is not something that someone else gives you or creates in you.  So stop waiting for that “special someone” to come into your life.  Stop looking for that “special something” in the stores or catalogs.  Happiness is already inside of you.  You just need to find it and let it out.  Unless you really believe this, there’s no point in going further because you’ll always be stuck waiting, waiting, waiting.
2. Living in the past.  So maybe a loved one left.  Maybe that big deal fell through or that big promotion went to someone else.  Wallowing in resentment and regrets is a sure way to kill any chance of happiness.  Some people have made “crying over spilled milk” a profession that’s taken over their lives – and in that kind of environment, happiness has no room to grow.
3. Poor self-esteem.  Do you feel like you don’t deserve happiness?  Feel like you’re not worthy of it?  Poor self-esteem and the negative thought patterns it produces can be a happiness killer.  Correcting this one is so important that if it applies to you, you might want to consider professional help.
4. Stress.  It’s impossible to feel happy if you’re under stress all the time.  Now here’s the kickker – a large portion of the stress we all feel is self-imposed.  We want everything in our lives to go according to plan and when it doesn’t, we freak out.  Trying to control the uncontrollable – and stressing out about it – will always keep happiness under wraps.
5. Isolation.  Do you spend most of your time alone?  Bad idea.  Man (as in “mankind” – no gender bias intended <grin>) is a social animal.  We all need to be around and interact with other people.  We need to hear their troubles as well as be able to share our own.  It helps to keep things in perspective in addition to making us feel needed, valued and accepted.  Whether it’s a circle of friends or family, you need to be part of a social group.  If you’re not, it will be really difficult to find happiness.
6. Poor physical condition.  You know, one of the reasons you’re not happy might be because you’re sick.  Keep yourself in good physical condition by getting regular checkups and by following your doctor’s advice  - especially the part about losing a few pounds and exercising.
7. No mission or purpose.  Feeling like there’s no purpose to your life is the “mac-daddy” of all happiness killers.  However, taking care of most of the other 6 areas will take help to eliminate this one automatically.  For example, if you have a close group of friends and family, you’ll automatically begin to feel needed.  Agree to bring the coffee to the next group get-together and now you begin to feel like people are depending on you.  Feeling like your life has purpose automatically comes from being involved with your family, your friends, and in your community.

Letting Happiness Shine Through

1. Get positive.  Learn to look on the bright side.  I said “learn” because optimism is a learned behavior.  It’s a habit, just like being negative is, only with a much better payback in terms of happiness.
2. Learn to laugh more.  Don’t cry over spilled milk.  Learn to see the humor in everything around you, even the little things that used to drive you nuts.  Once you do that, you’ll begin to experience joy, and from there it’s a short skip to happiness.
3. Forgive the past.  Let go of all the resentment and regrets.  Learn to forgive others for the wrong they might have done (real or imagined) as well as yourself for not meeting whatever goals or expectations you might have set for yourself.  Quit trying to blame others or situations as the reason you’re not happy.  Learn how to forgive and let happiness shine through.
4. Get physical.  Get out and get active.  Meet new people.  Make new friends.  Play games.  Compete.  Contribute.  Find a group where you can volunteer.  Eat right.  Smile.
5. Give thanks.  Yes, I know times are tough.  Yes, I know there are millions of unemployed and that the economy is in the dumps and that the Middle East is in flames, and blah, blah, blah.  Still, take time to give thanks for what you have, for your health, for the people in your life, for life itself.

Happiness is not something magical that’s “out there” somewhere that you need to find.  It’s not part of “someone special” that you need to meet or “something special” that you need to buy and own.  Happiness is already inside of you.  You already are happy.  You just need to strip away all the junk that’s preventing you from seeing it.  Get started today!

Certified Fitness Nutrition Coach andPersonal Fitness Trainer (NESTA)

P.S.  Be sure to get my latest Fitness Blueprint called “Little Things That Improve Your Health.”  This ebook is packed with loads of helpful information on how to build a better body and you can get it FREE – no email, no cookies, no catch.  Download and enjoy!

Technorati Tags: happy, happiness, joy, positive outlook, healthy, emotional, depression, thankfulness

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It’s a horrible thing to go through.  Everyone runs around trying to look busy but no work is actually being performed.  How could it?  There are bigger issues to consider.  Every time two or more people get together, the first priority is to trade the latest rumors, opinions, or predictions.

And then it comes.  It’s your turn.  The skies seem to darken and it becomes difficult to breathe as your manager’s voice comes over the intercom, “I need to see you in my office.”  You can’t feel your legs as you walk down the hall in a daze while everyone looks at you with a sympathetic look that basically says  “dead man walking.”  And just like that, your job is gone.

How do you live through losing your job?  How do you possibly carry on?  How do you survive a layoff?

Part of You is Lost.

For most of us, our job is part of who we are.  It helps defines us.  Rightly or wrongly, most us identify very closely with what we do for a living.  What’s the very first question (at least for guys) that you ask, or get asked, right after you met someone for the first time?  It’s usually something like,  “What kind of work do you do?”

That’s what makes it so hard to deal with losing your job.  You feel like a part of you has died, and to some extent, it has.  You go through the same emotions that you would at the end of a love affair or the death of a family member.  So it might help to start by knowing what those emotions are so you can be prepared for them when they hit you.

The Phases of Grief.

Experts tell us that most people go through the following emotional phases as part of the grieving process.  Some people go through each phase pretty quickly and some get stuck in one phase or another.  The phases are:

• First is Shock.  You’re dumbfounded and dazed at the news that your job is ending.  You can’t think, you can’t feel.  You just feel numb.  Once the reality begins to sink in however, your initial shock wears off and you move to the next phase.
• Second, is Denial and/or Bargaining.  You can’t believe this is happening to you, no, you won’t believe it!  Or you try to “bargain” with your boss, or even with God, in order to reverse the situation.  However, once you realize that nothing is changing, you move to the next phase.
• Next is Guilt.  You begin to think that maybe it was your own fault that you lost your job.  You start thinking things like “if only I had worked harder” or “if only I hadn’t messed up that report.”  If only.  Unfortunately, a lot of people get stuck in this phase.  When you finally realize that getting laid off was not your fault, you move to the next phase.
• Anger.  Now you get pissed at your boss, at your company, at your coworkers, at everybody.  You seem to be filled with anger.  You think, “Well if they can’t appreciate the job I was doing, then screw them!”  This anger provides the energy that you’ll need in order to make it through the next phase.
• Depression - another phase that some people get stuck in.  You can’t afford to spend too much time here.  Yes, I know it feels good to wallow in despair but after you’ve counted up all your bills, gone through a couple boxes of tissues and wondered, “how are we ever going to get through this,” you’ve got to move on to the final stage.
• Acceptance and Determination.  In this last stage, you’ve finally come to the realization that your job is gone and that your boss isn’t going to call saying that it was all a big mistake.  At this stage, you accept what’s happened and you’re ready to move forward.  You’re ready to re-take control of your life.

It’s key to understand that everybody goes through these phases.  It’s a natural part of grieving the loss of your old job and the part of you that used to work there.   The trick is getting through these emotional phases as quickly as possible.  Obviously, the quicker you get through them, the sooner you can get back out there and begin to put the pieces of your career back together.

Here are some tips that will help you move from one phase to another.

Moving Past It.

First, get yourself in front of a mirror, look yourself in the eye and understand fully that YOU ARE NOT YOUR JOB.  The fact that your job was terminated does not make you any less than the wonderful, talented person you already are.  It really is the company’s loss, not yours.  Look at yourself in the mirror and actually say the words, “I am not my job.  I am still the wonderful, talented person I was before and I WILL make it through this.  I WILL find another job.” Once you can do this without feeling any doubt or reservation, you’re on your way to getting back on your feet.

Second, let your emotions rule — but not for too long. It’s OK to feel angry, guilty, or depressed.  It’s OK to watch TV and eat ice cream all day.  Let your emotions out and let them rule — but don’t let yourself get stuck there.  Set a time limit.  Tell yourself that, “Tuesday is my ‘feel-sorry-for-myself’ day.  The rest of the week I’ll be working full time on getting myself employed again.” Don’t try to keep your emotions bottled up inside.  That never works.  They’re going to eventually come pouring out and that’s OK — as long as they come out on your timetable, not theirs.

Next, don’t suffer in silence. Let everyone know you’ve been laid off.  Don’t feel guilty or embarrassed because you’ve lost your job.  Tell everyone you know — and even the people you don’t know — that you’ve been laid off.  First of all, the emotional support and encouragement will help lift you up.  Second, you never know when someone will know about a job opening somewhere.  So don’t suffer in silence.  Find a support group, or a networking group, or just hang out with your friends.  Now more than ever it’s important that you keep your social connections active.

Fourth, don’t kid yourself. It’s important that you stay rooted in reality when it comes to your finances.  If you need to modify your lifestyle, do so sooner rather than later.  Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you can get a job anytime and therefore, you can afford to continue to spend like there’s no tomorrow.  Getting a new job takes time, especially nowadays with countless interviews, background and reference checks, medical and drug tests, and so on.  You need to plan for that.

Finally, get back out there with optimism and determination. You DO have talent.  You WILL find another job.  Sure, it’s a royal hassle going from place to place and filling out countless applications but that’s just part of the process.  You have to believe that each application, each interview, gets you a little bit closer to getting hired.  Your job hunting “engine” is fueled by optimism and determination so make sure you keep an ample supply of both.

Stay Healthy.

Throughout this process, make sure you keep your body healthy by eating right and exercising.  It’s OK to have some “comfort food” once in a while but don’t make it a routine part of your diet — and don’t forget to work it off with plenty of exercise.  Exercise and proper nutrition will help you work through those “poor me” periods and stay focused on moving forward towards a new job or career.

Keep The Faith.

In conclusion, keep your faith strong.  Things will get better.  Your life will eventually return to normal.  You will survive.

Hiram
The Balanced Health Guy

Technorati Tags: layoff, depression, grief, laid off, fired, employment, job, economy, recession, work, downsized

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A Mold “Primer”

First, mold is everywhere and is a natural part of the environment. It’s job is to breakdown dead organic material and in the process, release nutrients into the soil where they become available for living plants. Although molds are everywhere, they only grow where there is a food source and moisture. This is the reason you usually find mold growing in damp areas due to plumbing, roofing, or other types of leaks.

Molds grow in colonies and there are thousands of different types. Once a colony finds a food source and becomes established, it defends it’s “territory” by spreading chemicals called mycotoxins in order to prevent other molds from moving in. The most familiar example of this is bread mold, which produces what we call penicillin in order to keep other molds away.

Mold Problems

Molds become a problem indoors for several reasons. The first is physical. According to the EPA’s “Mold Remediation in Schools and Commercial Buildings,” molds destroy the materials they are growing on. This can eventually lead to structural problems if the mold – and the underlying moisture problem – is not properly addressed.

Secondly, molds can create, or contribute to, health problems. Molds are microscopic and mold spores easily become airborne when disturbed. As a result, anyone living or working nearby can introduce them into their lungs through normal breathing. In many people, this can create allergic symptoms due to the mold spore itself, or chemical symptoms due to the mycotoxins.

The Link Between Mold and Depression

Although mold has been implicated as the probable cause for a number of health problems, solid proof has been difficult to come by, mainly because people can react to mold exposure in many different ways. This makes it very difficult to determine a cause-effect relationship. However, one study performed in late 2007 found a connection between mold (along with the damp conditions necessary for mold growth) and depression in the inhabitants of moldy buildings.

In an article titled “Dampness and Mold in the Home and Depression: An Examination of Mold-Related Illness and Perceived Control of One’s Home as Possible Depression Pathways” and published in the American Journal of Public Health, researchers found “…a solid association between depression and living in a damp, moldy home.” Although the study does not prove that mold causes depression (a cause-effect relationship), it does show that there is a connection, or link, between the two.

The researchers think that there are two reasons for this link. The first is the effect that mold has on a person’s physical health. These can include the allergic symptoms already mentioned. When you’re not feeling well, it’s easy to get depressed. The second reason comes from a perceived lack of control over the housing environment, the feeling that you can’t afford to fix the mold problems or move altogether.

Edmond Shenassa, the research team leader, said, “Physical health, and perceptions of control, are linked with an elevated risk for depression, and that makes sense. If you are sick from mold, and feel you can’t get rid of it, it may affect your mental health.” Shenassa also stated that “What the study makes clear is the importance of housing as an indicator of health, including mental health.”

Healthy Homes Can Promote Healthy Lives

A final comment by Shenassa was that “Healthy homes can promote lives.” Amen to that. But how do you create and maintain a healthy home? Here are a couple of tips to prevent mold from growing indoors:

• Keep your home well maintained and in good repair. Immediately repair any water leaks or wet spots that may be caused by plumbing problems, roof leaks, condensation, or any other causes.
• Routinely check for damp or wet spots around all sinks, faucets, and plumbing fixtures as well as around windows and doors. Don’t forget to check dishwashers and ice makers, too.
• Clean up any liquid spills or water leaks immediately and make sure the surrounding area is thoroughly dry.
• Your HVAC regulates humidity in addition to temperature so make sure it’s working properly.
• Frequently inspect and dry areas around moisture sources such as potted plants, aquariums, pet drinking bowls, etc.
• Get professional help with repairs and/or clean up if you need it. See the EPA document referenced above for advice and tips.

The Next Steps

Understand that preventing mold from growing indoors is just one step towards creating a “healthy home.” Other steps can include reducing the amount of particulates in the indoor air, a topic I wrote about in “Indoor Air Quality and Heart Disease.” You should also address other potential hazards such as radon, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds (VOC) from glues, paints, or pesticides, as well as asbestos and possibly lead-based paints. You can find more information on these in the EPA’s “The Inside Story: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality.”

Conclusion

I can’t sum up the intent of this post any better than by quoting Edmond Shenassa: “Healthy homes can promote healthy lives.” Americans spend a significant portion of their day indoors. Doesn’t it make sense that your physical and mental health would be tied to, and affected by, your environment?

Hiram

The Balanced Health Guy

Technorati Tags: IAQ, depression, indoor air quality, health, healthy home, allergies, allergy, mycotoxin, balanced health, mental health, damp home, mold

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