Tips for managing holiday stress How’s your holiday spirit? Dreading that time of year again, with all its mental health challenges? Have you already started planning how you will handle possible mood swings, holiday anxiety, or seasonal affective depression? For many, if not most people, the holidays can be bittersweet. My own parents died many years ago, but it’s at Christmas that my most vivid memories come back and I miss having the family together (as it was then…) all over again. We often hear reminders that “for some people” the holidays can be a difficult time, but I think some level of sadness is built in to annual rituals for everyone. We are all mourning our lost childhood and ...
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Wearable devices are becoming more and more popular, and people are using them in a range of ways that may or may not follow the instructions for use given by the manufacturers. Even more concerning, the companies that market these devices do not publish data about how they have been shown to work, or about the algorithms used to analyse if the wearer has had “good sleep” or not. External research has shown little, if any correspondence between the results from a wearable, wristwatch type device and those from the more accurate polysomnography tests, which measure brain waves through direct contact of electrodes with the skin. In contrast, the wristwatch device measures movement throughout the night. It may mistake lying ...
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Hug a friendly tree, plant the flowers you love, play with your pets (they love that), go for a walk, watch the sunset, increase your connection with nature. Research consistently confirms a basic intuition people have: being closer to natural, unbuilt environments is good for us. Even if you live in a dense, built-up area, going outside means feeling the wind in your hair, seeing the blue or cloudy sky, and getting the benefit of more light to lift your mood and strengthen your physical health. An increasing number of therapists of all persuasions are incorporating “nature” or green spaces into their therapeutic practice. This may be as simple as having a conversation while walking outside instead of sitting in ...
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Here comes the end of Daylight Savings again, the signal of darker mornings and longer nights to come. Even in “sunny California” the winter months are darker and people can struggle. Seasonal Affective Disorder is a real phenomenon, and it shouldn’t be brushed off. Increased hours of darkness can lead to episodes of depression, sleeplessness, and even thoughts of suicide. Take your concerns seriously! Some of these symptoms are also exacerbated by the time change, which is coming up next Sunday. If you have experienced problems around daylight savings time changes before, we encourage you to plan ahead. Some people find it helpful to start two or three days in advance and change their daily routines by 15 minutes each ...
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Choirs and choral singing are being recognized as potent medicine for anxiety, depression, and loneliness, as research is beginning to show that group singing creates bonds between and among participants more quickly and dependably than other methods of community building. Writing in the Guardian, Kate Corbett-Winder describes her struggle with anxiety and panic attacks that seemed to have no cause in her life. Using “traditional tools” such as therapy and medication, she got them under control, only to have them re-emerge about a year later. This time, through therapy, she began to explore “what have I stopped doing that once made me me?” Remembering that in childhood and youth, creativity, art and music were a constant and important part of ...
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The World Health Organization celebrates World Mental Health Awareness Day on Oct. 10 each year. MoodSurfing salutes this effort and we hope to be a small, but meaningful part of building the world’s awareness of mental health. Over the past few years, we have lifted up the names of people from many walks of life who are dedicating themselves to reducing stigma and spreading the word about mental health and the treatment of mental illness. People such as: Devika Bhusan, Acting Surgeon General for the State of California who says: “our struggles are the source of our superpowers.” Singer-songwriter Mariah Carey: “I’m hopeful we can get to a place where the stigma is lifted from people going through anything alone.” ...
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Welcome to MoodSurfing.com, the site that highlights strategies for living creatively with moods and coping with depression. This site is for people with bipolar, depression, cyclothymia, and others who experience powerful moods and want to figure out how to integrate these experiences into successful lives.
Although most of us are mental health clinicians of one kind or another, this site is not about providing people with medical or clinical advice (see below). We hope that we can help you cope with depression, maybe even allow you to live well with moods.
If you like what you see here, be sure to sign up to get updated with new posts.
We have done a series of interviews with people who have interesting things to say about different aspects of living creatively with moods. You can find those under the heading “Conversations.”
DISCLAIMER
This site is not designed to and does not provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment or services to you or to any other individual. Through this site and linkages to other sites, Moodsurfing provides general information for educational purposes only. The information provided in this site, or through linkages to other sites, is not a substitute for medical or professional care, and you should not use the information in place of a visit, call consultation or the advice of your physician or other healthcare provider. Moodsurfing is not liable or responsible for any advice, course of treatment, diagnosis or any other information, services or product you obtain through this site.
IF YOU BELIEVE YOU HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY, YOU SHOULD IMMEDIATELY CALL 911 OR YOUR PHYSICIAN. If you believe you have any other health problem, or if you have any questions regarding your health or a medical condition, you should promptly consult your physician or other healthcare provider. Never disregard medical or professional advice, or delay seeking it, because of something you read on this site or a linked website. Never rely on information on this website in place of seeking professional medical advice. You should also ask your physician or other healthcare provider to assist you in interpreting any information in this site or in the linked websites, or in applying the information to your individual case.
Medical information changes constantly. Therefore the information on this site or on the linked websites should not be considered current, complete or exhaustive, nor should you rely on such information to recommend a course of treatment for you or any other individual. Reliance on any information provided on this site or any linked websites is solely at your own risk.
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