Posted by: Uticopa in self esteem, confidence on
Jul 14, 2009
There are times when many of us can feel particularly worthless, depressed, discouraged, sad and defeated. Life is hard.
The way to deal with it is to tell yourself how special and important you are.
Each of us is unique: some of our mental components are handed down to us by our genetic ancestors, others by what we have experienced in our own lifetime. Do you have any idea of some of the gifts you have within you? My guess is probably not or you wouldn't be feeling the way you are feeling. Indeed, when you are feeling better, who better than you could offer to assist others? You've been through the mill and therefore know exactly what others may be experiencing.
There are many instances in literature and history that show how individual vulnerability can turn to amazing, even heroic, feats in overcoming disaster. Think of Viktor Frankl who was able to find it even in the Nazi concentration camps. You can read his book "Man's Search for Meaning."
Think of the great love poets. To my mind, how could they have experienced so much intense emotions had they not experienced so much emotional pain? In fact many poems express this pain and many of the great poets themselves had mental health disorders.
Posted by: Uticopa in fear, anxiety on
Jul 06, 2009
Is it growing old, the dark, cancer, death? We all have our fears, but how to deal with them so that our stress levels don't get blown sky-high?
Let's take ‘growing old'. If you talk to youngsters and ask them how they view the old people they pass on the city streets, often they will laugh and say things that indicate the old are aliens from another planet. The truth is that children need educating. Those old people are not ‘aliens': it is me in the future! The clothes the old people wear are not a sign that they haven't a clue about fashion, but simply that they choose to continue wearing the ‘fashion' from their own youth. What I'm trying to say is that education is one way of dealing with the fear of growing old.
Maybe you fear the very process of death and the aftermath. In ancient and some current third-world societies, children are exposed to death in a very real sense. They are taken to look at the recently-deceased member of their family, to show respect for the dead. There is often a serenity on the face of a dead person which can dispel all fears about dying. My late father used to say: you must remember me often and quote some of my sayings; in that way, I can live on. This is good advice because by so doing you can ease your own mind by remembering them when they were living and so help your own grieving process.
Posted by: Uticopa in abusive relashionship on
Jul 06, 2009
Are you in a relationship that is causing you grief? I believe that most of us, especially those of us who have mental health disorders, feel guilt in situations where we have no business whatsoever feeling guilt. It's all too easy to just look at our behaviour, the situation and ourselves and say "This is happening, so I must be guilty somehow! I'm so ashamed".
In order to take back control of yourself, you need to understand what is going through the head of your partner. It's all about control.
Relationship abuse is a pattern of abusive and coercive behaviour used to maintain power and control over you. An abusive relationship means more than just being hit by the person who claims to love or care about you. Abuse covers all sorts of things - emotional, psychological, financial, sexual or physical - and can include threats, isolation and intimidation. Emotional abuse is difficult to name or even talk about. Victims often wonder if it's serious because it isn't visible, like bruises or broken bones. Emotionally-abused survivors state that one of the biggest problems they face is that others seldom take it seriously. The problem is: do nothing and the abuse is likely to increase.
Posted by: Uticopa in addiction on
Jun 22, 2009
We have always understood addiction to include such horrors as drug addiction, alcoholism, gambling, nicotine etc. However, in today's technological age, there's a new kid on the block: violent computer game addiction.
What exactly is computer addiction?
Computer addiction, or more broadly computer overuse, is excessive or compulsive use of computers that interferes with daily life. People can be addicted to computers and suffer withdrawal symptoms.
History
There are examples of computer overuse dating back to the earliest computer games. With the widespread use of computers in the 21st century, it may be difficult to distinguish users who are ‘highly engaged' in their computer use from those who might be considered "addicted".
Posted by: Uticopa in music therapy, memory, dementia on
Jun 17, 2009
In all forms of dementia there is a loss of protein, effectively cutting off the vital connections of the brain. Yet, it can't be as simple as that. Vestiges of old memories seem to lie dormant with sufferers, as if waiting for that essential trigger to spring them back to the forefront of consciousness again.
It was with this in mind that a programme called Music for Life was started in 1993. It was set up to use music to find the person behind the dementia. From this original, small group, a much larger organisation has now been handed over to Wigmore Hall in London. In May, the transition was launched attended by the charity's royal patron, HRH Princess Alexandra.
The latest remit for the charity is for a group of classical musicians, some from the London Philharmonic Orchestra, to take their instruments to nursing homes and provide around eight sessions involving dementia patients and their carers. As soon as the residents arrive, some in wheelchairs, some with sticks or walking-frames, the musicians strike up a pre-improvised melody. Subtle, entrancing and hypnotic, it's composed especially to alter mood through both the rhythm and dynamics.
Posted by: Uticopa in stress management on
Jun 16, 2009
We all live our lives as if the secret purpose is to somehow get everything done. Well, no!
As soon as you've finished one ‘to do' list, another one will surely come along. The ‘in box' of our daily lives is meant to have tasks to do in it; it isn't supposed to be empty. The trick is to enjoy what you do, not be obsessive about getting everything completed. In reality, most things can wait.
So often when we're dealing with bad news, we get into certain habits which are not good for our mental health. We focus on the negative aspects of life and lose sight of the bigger picture. The thing to remember is you can change your attitude to life, but only by taking a less stressful approach to things. Stop worrying about the trivia of life, stay calm and your mental health will improve.
Posted by: Uticopa in Untagged on
Jun 01, 2009
Our body's ability to metabolise food is complex and not widely-understood. There are as many different types of metabolic-rate as there are, say, types of facial features. If someone has inherited a poor bodily metabolic rate and then, foolishly, overeats to a marked extent as well - then we get the sort of extreme obesity levels one sees in places like the USA. There's one particular family I know where the wife is obese, the husband skinny, the one son following the mother's shape, the other the father's.
Yet, they all eat the same amount and type of food!
Every day there seem to be yet more doctors telling us that what we eat is bad for us. Most related studies have in the past concentrated on how obesity and poor choice of food give undoubted risk to our cardiovascular system, leading to strokes and cancer. However, a new Australian study has now shown a link between Western-style diets and mental health problems in teenagers.
Posted by: Uticopa in Untagged on
May 27, 2009
As the recession deepens, many couples are struggling - financially, in their relationships and in their own inner mental states.
A typical scenario
Where once the joint monthly income was easily enough to cover outgoings, now that one partner has lost their job, their very financial credibility is at stake. Their arguments become ever more rancorous over how to spend their limited resources; they criticize and blame each other for their current financial woes and then retreat from each other in silence or anger.
Posted by: Uticopa in Untagged on
May 27, 2009
It's now out in the open. Unemployment causes depression causes physical symptoms. We all know that the main reason for working is to gain money to feed ourselves and our families, together with fuelling our ever-increasing lifestyles. However, it seems it's more subtle than that - and this is historically significant for men in particular. To work, and indeed the type of work, is a significant source of a person's sense of self-worth and self-esteem.
How many of us recall TV sitcoms of old, like Reggie Perrin and its ilk, whereby men would often still leave for work in the morning - complete with briefcase and pinstripe suit - months after losing their jobs. The stigma attached to disclosing their misfortune was just too much to bear - even to their wives and family - so the familiar, comforting charade of a normal working routine was continued. But what of the bottling-up of anxieties inside, together with the increasing likelihood of more illnesses to come?
It's a known fact that a high percentage of people develop a depressive illness within six months of becoming unemployed. In fact, after relationship difficulties, unemployment is the most likely thing to force you into a bad depression. With the loss of your job, even through no fault of your own, comes the risk of moving from a position of feeling in reasonable control of your life to facing an uncertain future and suffering from an eroded sense of self-confidence - especially if it takes a long time to find another job.
Posted by: Uticopa in Untagged on
May 16, 2009
For men with mental health issues, is life any easier in Scotland? Is NHS provision better in the north than in England and Wales? And what about costs and waiting times?
I thought I'd better find out.
However, before you get your hopes up too much, it seems that information gathered by a spending watchdog has highlighted a mixed picture on the provision of mental health services in Scotland.
