Self-Help Tips on Surviving Depression

December 18, 2009 by admin  
Filed under Self Help

Si101 asked:


Many people suffer from depression and it is one of the most difficult phases to through. There are several causes of depression such as failed relationship, career-related problems and school pressure. Depending on the intensity of the difficulty, depression can sometimes lead to serious medical conditions.

According to studies, depression is a condition that exists in the mind and many cases are psychological. People who are going through this situation can easily get out of it if they can realize that they are indeed in need of help. They must be open to the idea of treatment or lifestyle change. On the other hand, those who want to survive depression but do not wish to undergo extensive medical and psychological treatment must consider self-help tips about depression. Many books offer self-help tips on different subjects and if you are in need of one about depression, here are some self-help tips that will provide you the basic things to survive the condition.

You need to have hope. Be optimistic in life and do not let negative thoughts control you. It may seem difficult but you can ask help from family and friends for support.

Have time for exercise. Physical training tends to be an antidepressant, help in proper blood circulation, and increase the oxygen in the brain. Exercising can help you avoid thinking about bad things and stay away from depression. Keep yourself motivated and having any kind of exercise that makes you healthy and strong can be a very good therapy for depression. You can have discipline through doing exercises and discipline is known to be an important aspect in dealing with depression.

It is important to maintain a healthy diet. Having good nutrition is vital for the brain and body to be able to work well. A balance diet is necessary and it is advisable to consume organic food to prevent health problems caused by preservatives and chemicals.

Have a positive outlook and laugh as much as you can. Laughing can bring many benefits and helps in the production of body chemicals, which puts you in high spirits. Watching comedy films and television shows can help you feel better.

Learn breathing technique. Whenever you feel stressed, just close your eyes and breathe well. Slowly inhale through the nose and slowly exhale through the mouth. Do this technique five to ten times so that you will feel more relaxed.

You need to have enough time of rest. The quality is more important that the hours of sleep. It is necessary to have a habitual sleeping schedule and commit yourself with it. One of the signs of depression is not being able to sleep therefore; having proper sleeping patterns can be a good start to survive depression.

Be creative and make use of your right brain. You can attend creative schools such as cooking, painting or dancing classes. Focusing your attention to creative activities can give you the opportunity to meet new people and gain more friends. Keep yourself busy with different enjoyable activities and eventually, you can no longer think about depression that once controlled you.



Positive Attitude Tips – Identify and Change your Cognitive Distortions

December 2, 2009 by admin  
Filed under Self Help

Beverly OMalley asked:


Of  all the positive attitude tips offered on the many self help resources available the best is to change the way you think. And if it was really that simple then this article would end here.

However, knowing what to do is different from figuring out how to do it. You cannot change the way you are thinking if you are not aware of how you are thinking, so any list of positive attitude tips must include suggestions for self analysis and emotional reflection.

Starting at the beginning it becomes self evident that positive attitude tips can only be offered if we first understand what the word attitude really means. In everyday common language the word attitude has many meanings, but it is mostly used to refer to a cognitive construct or in simpler terms a “pattern of thinking”.

Since we cannot see the way a person is thinking, attitude is usually inferred from behaviour. When a person’s cognitive construct or way of thinking is positive their behaviour will reflect what will be interpreted as a positive attitude.

A positive attitude allows a person to create the life they want because they are not afraid to see things as they really are and work to create their own reality. A positive attitude really reflects a lack of fear in moving forward and creating change.

There are many benefits of a positive attitude including:

better health improved relationships with others both at home and at work more opportunities for success improved productivity

How Do You Devleop a Positive Attitude?

It is a partially true statement that we get our attitude from our parents!  It is partially true because what happens to us in life is only part of the equation for developing a positive attitude How we interpret what happens to us is equally if not more important in creating our attitudes.

What is a cognitive distortion?

If you interpret what happens to you in a negative way you develop what are called cognitive distortions.  Cognitive distortions are nothing more that errors in interpretation and those errors can be changed if identified, examined, and re-interpreted in a positive way.

Positive attitutde tips must include the reccommendation to become aware of your own cognitive distortions and change them!  Cgnitive distortions keep you in a pattern of thinking which forms a barrier to creating the life you really want.

The cognitive distortions which would be behind a negative attitude would go something like this:

“I screwed up again.” “I am not smart enough to try that.” “It is not really what I want but it is good enough for me.” “If I ask for help people will think I am stupid and know that I cannot even run my own life”

The cognitive construct behind a positive attitude would go something like this:

“Even though this bad thing happened, I am still a good person.” “I am going to take this opportunity to learn as much about why this happened as I can because I do not want it to happen to me again.” “I think that perhaps I need some help with this because I do not seem to be able to help myself in a way that is helping to resolve this problem.”

The difference between these two ways of thinking is immedaately obvious. Think of it this way:

Developing a positive attitude means interpreting life’s events in a way that is truthful, honest, and self affirming and keeping a positive attitude means continuing with these positive and self affirming interpretations of life’s events, even negative events.

It is possible to change your attitude!  But it does require identification and critical analysis of your own beliefs about yourself and the life you think you deserve.

The best possible of all the positive attitude tips?  Change the way you think!



Self-Improvement Tips on Loving Yourself More

September 1, 2009 by admin  
Filed under Self Help

Si101 asked:


The happiest people are those who love themselves. You do not need to be perfect to be happy. What you can do is to love yourself more to have a better and more positive outlook in life. Self-improvement tips on loving yourself more are accessible anywhere and if you want to learn to love yourself, here are some insights to reflect on.

Complement on yourself. Give yourself good points whether physically emotionally. For instance, tell yourself that you look good on your new dress or you worked on the situation well. Complements tend to make your mood better. Try to focus on every positive side in any situation.

Do yourself a favor and have a makeover. Looking good can make you feel good. Make an effort to wear something attractive, put on a little makeup and go to a salon for a new hairstyle. This can give you confidence and realize that you can indeed look your best. It is a good idea to pay attention about your health and fitness. You do not need to have a supermodel image but keeping yourself fit by daily exercise can improve your health as well as your mood. Exercise can give you positive energy, which is very important with how you deal with people around you.

Treat yourself occasionally. Take time for yourself and go shopping, watch movies or eat in a nice restaurant. Pamper yourself with relaxing massage and go to health spa. Everybody needs a break after a long week of hard work and you deserve to have one. Traveling with family and friends can make a big difference in your perspective in life. Going to places that you have always wanted to go is a good way to reward yourself.

Make a list of your strengths and weaknesses. Focus on your strengths and on how you can develop them. On the other hand, reflect on your weak points so that you will be able to know how to change them. This way, you can know more about yourself and love yourself even more.

Do an act of kindness everyday. Do something good to other people. Even how simple and small it is, the act can give you a good feeling and a sense of fulfillment for the whole day.

Be aware of what you can and cannot do. Try to evaluate yourself and be honest on your assessment. The way you see yourself is just the same way other people see you. If you think you are funny and lovable, chances are they think of you the same way.

Do not be too hard on yourself. Learn to forgive. Nobody is perfect and it is normal to make mistakes. Many things can attribute to your mistakes and being too tough on yourself will only give you reasons to have doubts and worries. Realize your mistakes and find out ways to prevent doing them again. Learn from your bad experiences and let them serve as lessons, which made you stronger in facing life’s challenges.

Value and love yourself more to be able to get love in return. People around you can surely benefit from the changes you make.