Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Self Help”
Exercise is widely recommended as a first-line treatment for depression of all types. Many people have personal experience of feeling better and healthier when they integrate an exercise routine into their lives, and there are many studies showing measurable effects of exercise on clinical depression. However, most of these studies are small, and there are few solid conclusions that can …
To mark Mental Health Awareness Month, the American Medical Association (AMA) has released a series of resources for primary health care physicians and other practitioners to improve the integration of behavioral health care into primary care practices. Heavily emphasized in all the resources is training for health care practices at all levels in reducing stigma and prejudice around mental health …
We use the image of “surfing” your moods to describe the experience of bipolar’s ups and downs, but we don’t mean this to imply that the mood waves of bipolar are chaotic and completely unpredictable. On the contrary, people who keep a careful log of their moods over time find clear patterns to their ups and downs. However, these patterns …
Invest your energy for greater returns and more energy Depression can feel like a deep hole that you just can’t get a foothold to climb out of. But some people have found that even from deep inside the hole, there is a way to get at least a toehold, which can lead to another fingerhold, and so on, until you …
It’s that time of the year again, when we have to figure out what to do with the clocks – and indeed, how many time-keeping devices we have around the house nowadays. Some of them change themselves and others don’t. Then on top of that, there’s all the people arguing about whether changing the clocks twice a year is a …
Patients in recovery from major depressive episodes may need help learning to process positive information and stimuli. Researchers found that people with a history of major depressive disorder spend more time processing negative information than healthy controls, and they may have less control over which information they process. This negative bias suggests that people recovering from depression may need to …
New Year’s resolutions should be simple and easy to keep; that’s one of the better pieces of advice on the subject that I’ve seen. So here’s a simple one, Every time you step outside of a door, look up. That’s it. Just see the sky. Not to check the weather, but to open yourself up – body and mind. Tilting …
How do you face the new year? With dread? With optimism? Mixed feelings? Do you have a sense of efficacy about personal growth in the coming days and weeks, or are you all about “learned helplessness” and “nothing ever works anyway”? MoodSurfing regularly looks at the topics of habit change and self-improvement, especially at this time of year, when many …
We’re coming up on a time of year that for many (maybe even most) people offers significant challenges. Now is the time to plan ahead for the difficulties you typically face during the holiday season, and call to mind coping strategies that have worked for you in the past, or new ones that you want to try. Depression is a …
Addiction is a potent topic for debate in our debate-happy society, but, as with so many of those topics, the debates usually generate more heat than light. That’s why we are glad that the American Medical Association and the American Psychiatric Association have put out this handy, easy to read guide about addiction, separating fact from myth. Addiction is an …
Who Matters? Do you? Mattering is an important component of well-being Struggling with depression, Isaac slept late every morning, just dashing out in time to be “only a little” late to work each day. His apartment never got cleaned, and meals were a hit-and-miss combination of takeout and supermarket junk food. Then his mom went on vacation and brought her …
What is Mood Charting, and why do we think it’s so important? In simple terms, mood charting is making notes, either on paper or electronically, about what your mood is at about the same time each day. The chart can include other data points, such as hours of sleep, or type and duration of exercise, but the main idea is …
It’s Amazing! Managing a chronic disorder or illness can seem like a full-time job. Taking the medication, wondering about the medication, getting to all the therapists’ appointments, watching the diet, getting enough sleep, keeping the house clean and paying the bills each month. Whew! There’s no time in life for stopping and smelling roses. And what about those roses? How …
Dependence: Problem or not? Consider the many ways you are dependent on others, on the Earth, and on the invisible structures of society to get by in life. Consider whether our culture’s constant harping on independence is realistic or healthy. Today, let’s explore the positive sides of being dependent. It may turn out to be the more realistic way of …
Activate your psychological immune system Our brains have built-in processes that help us make meaning of adversity, and find ways to pick up and keep going after a shock, injury, or disappointment. Psychologists Daniel Gilbert and Timothy Wilson have been researching our abilities to “weather the storms” of life, and figure out how to make the best of bad situations. …
Positive emotions are supposed to be great for you, and of course it feels better to be happy than sad. But so what? If sadness is where you are, what’s the point of lecturing yourself to “be more positive”? Before we start lecturing ourselves or others about what emotions we are supposed to be feeling in any given situation, it …
Insomnia is complicated! Poor sleep and feeling tired are one of the topics that we engage in the most with our patients who experience depressed and/or elevated moods. We have found that there is a very strong belief among Americans that 8 hours’ sleep is the ideal towards which we should always be striving. This paradigm comes from the early …
“I really adjusted fast, it was miraculous…” Patients who travel are familiar with warnings and advice we give about the potential for moods to get unbalanced or even out of control as a result of jet lag and time changes on international flights. Recently, Jason, who was making a 15-hour time change for his honeymoon, reported back on the helpfulness …
A new campaign launched by the American Psychiatric Association Foundation aims to change the conversation around mental wellness and illness from anti-stigma to prioritizing mental health in the same way we have prioritized physical health. APA CEO and Medical Director Saul Levin, M.D. said: “we all know there is no health without mental health. [This campaign is about] saying to …
Self-care is critical for a healthy life. Because we can’t meet others’ needs if our own go unheeded. Because to lead by example for our families, for our workplaces, for our communities, we have to show what a healthy life looks like. Because self-care is not a reward, it’s the basic fuel that keeps the whole show running. But how …
