Posted by: Uticopa in self help, big change on
Mar 24, 2009
Most people will probably admit to certain times in their working lives when they lack the motivation to do honest hard work.
If this relates to you, ask yourself honestly whether you're the type who has constantly cut corners, doing the minimum amount of work necessary for a certain project, and making excuses for handing-in papers late.
For many young people just starting out at work, there is the assumption that this tendency would end when they started doing a regular, paying job. However, in practice, this often proves extremely difficult - especially in a large, open-plan office where there may not be an obvious supervisor standing overseeing the job. In this sort of working environment, there are many employees who spend the majority of their time messing around on the internet, writing or even doing anything to waste time and not do the work for which they are being paid.
As with all health issues, it is only by actually listening to sufferers about their particular problems that specific issues and needs can be met. If you have a mental health condition, we would like to hear from you.
It may be you desperately need more attention, someone to talk to, or simply someone to listen. You may say that even the knowledge that there are other people in the same situation would help you to confront your illness. Alternatively, it might be something else entirely. We would like to know.
First, read the rest of this article, particularly the highlighted lines, then let us know what your real needs are by completing the Comments Box below.
Posted by: Uticopa in stress, children on
Mar 20, 2009
What is stress?
Stress is a feeling that's created when we react to particular events - called stressors. It's the body's way of rising to a challenge and preparing to meet a difficult situation. The hypothalamus in the brain signals the adrenal glands to produce more of the hormones adrenaline and cortisol and release them into the bloodstream. These hormones speed up heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure and metabolism. Blood vessels open wider to let more blood flow to large muscle groups, putting our muscles on alert. Pupils dilate to improve vision. The liver releases some of its stored glucose to increase the body's energy, and sweat is produced to cool the body. All of these physical changes prepare us to react quickly and effectively to handle the pressure of the moment.
Stress, or ‘the fight or flight response', is critical during emergency situations, but it can also be activated in a milder form at a time when the pressure is on but there's no actual danger - like that school exam or job interview. Of course, a little of this stress can help us rise to life's challenges. Also, the nervous system can quickly return to its normal state, standing by to respond again when needed. But, it's the abnormal levels that cause concern, and it seems that this is often set way back in early childhood.
How to solve the stressful equations of life?
Rather like a stack of dominoes, once the bankers of Wall Street unleashed their economic ills onto an uncertain world, piece by piece, the world's economy started to collapse. Eventually, the unstoppable force reached the common man. But there were considerable knock-on effects on individuals, resulting in mounting stress levels.
Living in such unpredictable times evokes feelings of anxiety or even fear. There is a solution within each of us, but none of us knows what we're capable of until a crisis hits.
Posted by: Uticopa in children on
Mar 01, 2009
In the press recently has been an account of how Julie Myerson, an author mother, wrote the true story of her anguish in ordering her drug-taking son permanently from their home. If nothing else, it shows the huge gulf between the mindsets of parents and their offspring. But, who is at fault: the mother for apparently ‘failing to understand' her son's behaviour and for failing to nurture him no matter what, or the son for his supposedly narcissistic attitude to life? The mental anguish on both sides can lead - if not checked - to bouts of severe depression and even suicide.
Narcissism is the term used by psychologists to define often-disparaged youthful mindsets. We all recognise the syndrome and remember it well from our own youth. There is that inflated self-esteem, imagining yourself to be cleverer or more attractive than everyone else, as you chase that elusive future glory for yourself. Whilst in this syndrome, young people don't want to show that they seek warmth, intimacy and commitment in relationships - that would look weak. They go to great lengths to boost their value in the eyes of others by ‘me, me, me' attention-seeking, taking credit where it's not due, courting high-status trophy partners and friends, and constantly chasing public acclamation.
Although complaints about ‘today's youth' have been recorded in history ever since the beginning of time, recent studies have shown that there is a definite rise in narcissism this century. Arguably, the advantages are that narcissists tend to report high self-esteem, happiness and life-satisfaction. They are also often likeable, are good at performing in social situations, tend to win in brief competitive tasks and will put themselves forward as leaders (though they do not tend to make good ones in the long term).
Of all the tools to combat depression and negativity, humour is by far the best medicine - for both patient and doctor! Television and radio are both under-rated as purveyors of exactly this kind of medicine, no data ever being collected on the numbers of sick people made to feel appreciably better by switching-on at home and laughing uncontrollably at the comic of the day. From the comedians of yesteryear like Laurel and Hardy or Jack Benny, to Tommy Cooper or that special brand of comedian today like Jackie Mason who use ethnicity to make us laugh - we all have our favourites. By watching other people's mishaps, we laugh and feel instantly better.
But, is there a scientific reason for this? Here are a few examples:
Humour combats fear
Posted by: Uticopa in SAD on
Feb 23, 2009
Have you ever wondered why people living in the Mediterranean always seem so much happier than us? Picture for a moment the old women sitting in the evening sunshine outside their crumbling village homes - yet smiling and content with their lives. Well, why can't we be like that?
It's called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) or the Winter Blues and is now officially recognised as a medical condition that affects two million people in the UK.
Centuries ago most people in the UK worked outdoors in natural light, starting at the break of dawn and ending at sunset. Today fewer than 10% work outdoors. Whilst this is fine in the summer months with longer daylight hours, in the winter people go to work in the dark and go home in the dark, so don't get enough natural daylight.
Posted by: Uticopa in postnatal depression on
Feb 06, 2009
We've all read about celebs who talk about suffering from post-natal depression (PND). In the old days, women in the news were often reluctant to discuss such problems, fearing they would be branded weak in a macho, male-dominated world. However, in recent times some well-known celebrities have spoken openly about their own PND. The list includes Sadie Frost (actress), Natasha Hamilton (former Atomic Kitten singer), Elle Macpherson (model), and TV presenters Melinda Messenger, Katie Price (aka Jordan) and Gail Porter. Additionally, American actress Brooke Shields has written a book about her own experience with PND. It's called ‘Down Came The Rain: A Mother's Story of Depression And Recovery'.
By speaking out, what all these women have done is help to lift some of the stigma associated with PND. Let's get a few facts.
What exactly is PND?
Post-natal depression or PND is the name given to depression that develops between one month and up to one year after the birth of a baby. It affects many women and can begin suddenly or develop gradually. However, it is important to distinguish postnatal depression (PND) from 'baby blues' and postnatal psychosis.
Posted by: Uticopa in postnatal depression on
Feb 05, 2009
I've been diagnosed with post-natal depression - why me?
It's not clear exactly what causes PND, although there are things that seem to increase the risk.
Like depression which occurs at any other time, PND doesn't have one definite cause - but it's likely to result from a combination of factors. A mixture of physical, biological and hormonal factors seem to put women at risk of experiencing depression following the birth of a baby including:
Posted by: Uticopa in IQ, dementia, children on
Feb 04, 2009
As Gordon Brown unveils his new package of proposals offering special dementia ‘memory clinics' where the man in the street can go to check out his own susceptibility to the disease, it is interesting to note how even our childhood can have an effect. So now, as people are asked to ‘count backwards progressively from 100 by 7 each time' - making them recall their mental arithmetic lesson from school - there may be further links hitherto unrealised.
Scientists have now discovered a link between childhood IQ levels and a type of dementia. The discovery could help scientists better understand what causes the form of the disease which affects more than 100,000 people in Britain.
A study by Edinburgh University has found that lower intelligence levels in childhood increase the risk of developing vascular dementia later in life by as much as 40 per cent.
