Whether or not you’ve noticed, you, like me and every other human being, move through each day leading on a constant inner conversation. We talk to ourselves about what’s happening and what it means. We judge ourselves in how we to react to others. We notice that today’s events link to yesterday’s struggles and tomorrow’s possibilities. Some of these thoughts are favorable but many are highly self-critical. We give meaning to emotional suffering, dreams, yearnings and discomf

Are you fed up of suffering with emotional pain? Do you wonder why you still hurt so much and can’t control it? Part of being human is to suffer emotional pain. After all, everyone encounters it and no one gets away with it. Here we talk about how to transmute that pain and turn it into joy. It is possible, without doing anything else, to see pain in a new light and lift that blanket of suffering. We Can't Control Our Pain The first thing we have to accept is that negative em

We live in world where what we have, who we know and how others perceive us is supposed to bring us great success. Consequently cultural messages are if we don’t have those in place, then we can’t be truly happy. The problem with that memo is that, no matter how much money or success we have, there is always something better. Even after we purchase a new house, car or wardrobe, the appeal of these new acquisitions lose their charm because the truth is that happiness doesn’t c

How do we get in our own way of achieving what matters to us the most? Many of us are familiar with the pattern of taking one step forward, two steps back when it comes to our own happiness. **We want to lose weight but we find that after having lost a few pounds and start feeling happy, we put the pounds back on again. **Or we begin a brilliant yoga class only to find months later that we haven’t made any time to go. **Maybe we fall in love then find reasons to pull away. **

Depression is very misunderstood, especially by those who’ve never suffered. It’s so much more than simply being sad and unmotivated. The symptoms of depression have a way of affecting everything, from the smallest, most unsuspecting part of life, to the largest and most significant aspects of life. Trying to explain this feels like trying to hold onto a live eel; as soon as you start to grasp it, it slips from your grip. Here’s how some people describe their depression: Want

This article is a follow up to the depression test you can take here: Depression Test Severe Depression I’m so glad you submitted your details to receive this report on depression. It seems that, from the questionnaire, you’re probably severely depressed. The good news is that, you’re not alone. Severe depression was definitely my issue and I know many others who have faced the same symptoms. I’m always relieved when I hear that I’m amongst friends and not isolated with the w

This article is a follow up to the depression test you can take here: Depression Test Moderate Depression I’m so glad you submitted your details to receive this report on depression. It seems that, from your answers, you’re probably not severely depressed but might suffer from moderate depression. The good news is that, so do other people from time to time. I’m always relieved when I hear that I’m amongst friends and not isolated with the way I feel. I hope you do too. Still,

Mild Depression Do you suffer from mild depression? The good news is that, so do many people from time to time. I’m always relieved when I hear that I’m amongst friends and not isolated with the way I feel. I hope you do too. Still, you maybe having a few bad days and I’m guessing you were wondering if it’s anything serious and what you could do to feel better. Dysthymia Mild depression is also referred to as dysthymia. The problem with dysthymia is that it can linger for a l

Depression is so common that it’s sometimes referred to ‘the common cold’ of mental health. Unlike a common cold, suffering from depression can be extremely debilitating – and feel so shameful – that many people don’t seek help. I know when I was in my darkest place I couldn’t leave the house let alone book an appointment to see a specialist. For this reason you may want to find out if you are clinically depressed, or just having a bad few days, before you visit a doctor. Her

On the on hand we need friends to help us through the dark days when the only relief from the depression is the thought of ending it all. On the other hand, we don’t want to share our misery with our friends for fear they’ll judge us and/or run away. Good friends want us to be happy and they want to help us be happy. They don’t like us sad and depressed. But, they may not be the best people to help us. Let’s weigh up the options. How Depression Affects Friendships In A Negati

We’ve all had those days when depression keeps us firmly stuck in bed. We know all the things we ‘should’ do to feel better but, realistically, we’re not going to make a kale smoothie or soak in a soothing bath. We’re not alone. There are many of us who have had zero motivation to get out of bed and crack on. We’ve hopelessly thought about the futility of life, questioning the point of it all and perhaps had suicidal thoughts. What Is Depression? Depression is described in t

What Is A Dysfunctional Family? There’s no government benchmark on what constitutes a dysfunctional family. However, if you identify with any of these characteristics, as an adult, you may have been raised in one. Some characteristics of being raised in a dysfunctional family: Feel isolated Unable to express feelings Depression Feelings of shame Frightened of criticism High levels of anxiety especially in relationships Low self esteem Think things are your fault Have a fear o

Men Don’t Have It Easy I was at dinner at a friend’s recently. Sat around the bbq, a couple of my men friends were talking about work. They were regaling stories about pressures, extra responsibilities for the same wages, expected to travel, how they had no choice but simultaneously trying to keep their family together. They were trying to please everyone but they were sinking fast. Both these men commute and, when they were in the country, don’t get home before 9 p.m. At the

Take The Day Off However deep or light our depression is, a day off is good for all of us. Even if we think that this applies to everyone else but us, we take a day off anyway. Beating our depression can simply be about putting ourselves first. Some of us can turn the corner by this one, simple objective and a day off can help us achieve this. What Are We Taking A Day Off From? We need to take one day off from our responsibilities. This means we need to go out and play. It do

If you suffer from depression and you take the decision to get some help, it can be confusing as to which doctor you should see. Should you go to you your primary doctor first? Maybe you should see a specialist doctor. Or perhaps look at an alternative doctor? Many, many questions arise when you look at different types of specialists. It’s difficult to know whom to contact first. It’s also difficult to know where to find the doctors who specialize in depression. Let’s see if

Managing Severe Monthly Depression Problems Every woman knows what it feels like to suffer from the monthly blues. But for some women, suffering depression whilst having a period can turn into a debilitating part of the month. Every month. If this is you may have premenstrual dysphoric disorder or PMDD. PMDD can produce symptoms that are so severe that they can be disabling. The main symptoms of PMDD are: Exhaustion Anxiety Tension Frustration And, noticeably, depression. The

Which way round is it? Is it depression that's is hurting your relationship? Or is it your relationship that's making you depressed? It’s complicated! Some aspects of depression ARE due to our relationships. For those of us who are susceptible to depression, we may feel abandoned, rejected, criticized dismissed or abused more often than most people. Conversely, we might be the person who is delivering the rejection, criticism, abuse or abandonment. We might not even be aware

There’s much controversy about the origins of depression and there’s no simple answer to this question. The experts tell us that depression stems from a chemical imbalance in the brain. These are chemicals responsible for controlling the brain's functions and the main ones are noradrenaline, serotonin and dopamine. If these become imbalanced, so say the experts, we may develop several mental health disorders including depression and bipolar. The treatment option is to take Se

You may think this is a strange question but many people have commented to me that they don’t seem to think their antidepressants are working. Hence the question: Are antidepressants placebos? It brings into focus the whole idea about taking antidepressants for depression, their appropriate usage and effectiveness. There could be three reasons why we would think our doctor gives us something that we think are ‘fake depression pills’: Maybe they don’t work for some people Mayb

In spite of the media trying to paint mental health in a positive light over the last few years, in one way it has trivialized the atrocity of depression. There’s no doubt it has been a godsend for raising the awareness on how depression can blight your life. The downside is that it seems to have ‘normalized’ the manner in which we journalists discuss depression rather like the way we discuss sexual inappropriateness i.e. it happens all the time so acknowledge it and crack on