A Healthy Relationship Can Weather a Depression

Are you in a relationship with someone who is showing signs of failure? Is your partner showing signs of relationship depression? This is often times more difficult than suffering from your own depression. Many marriages and relationships end because one or both of you can't break this pattern and it just drags on until there is a feeling of hopelessness.

Depression affects different people in many different ways. The most common effect is irrational thought and wild swings of emotions, often blinding those who are afflicted with depression unable to see the positive things in their lives. No matter how hard you try to cheer a partner going through this it will seem to you like all your efforts are for nothing. Here is the kicker...don't give up.

In truth, your support and efforts mean a great deal to your partner, but in their situation they are simply not able to communicate that with you. Often they will suggest ending the relationship because, in fact, they feel responsible for hurting you. More often than not they want the relationship to continue and want your continued love and support. Please keep this in mind. When you are hurting, don't you want love and attention from those you love?

Your first step in keeping your relationship together is to do some research on depression. Learn the causes and symptoms and through this educational process you can begin to see the picture more clearly.

Men have a strong tendency to become emotionally attached to their occupation. By nature they are the providers and thus feel a greater need than women to be successful in their jobs. Women suffer more depression in regards to their social environment and can suffer depression when their loved ones are struggling.

Exercise self-awareness and don't get yourself trapped into the depression cycle. Living with a depressed person can become contagious. Here are signs to be aware of:

• Lack of sleep


• Lack of concentrations-normal daily routines become difficult


• Hopelessness and a feeling helpless to change things


• Inability to control negative emotions and thoughts


• you have lost your appetite or you can't stop eating


• Irritability and bad temper


• Suicidal thoughts-immediately seek professional help

If you begin to show any of these symptoms a visit to a professional counselor may be in order. Do not jeopardize your well-being at the expense of the relationship. If these symptoms of depression begin to seep into your daily life it may be time to step away, at least temporarily.

A former broken relationship and depression often go hand in hand. It is common to feel depressed and expect the worse when you have been through a series of unsuccessful relationships. Marriage counselors can help get through a situation like this or prevent it from becoming another failed relationship. Often times couples wait too long to seek advice from a relationship coach and at this late stage there is little that can be done to save the relationship.

Above all, just hang in there. Have faith in yourself and your partner that you can conquer this depression and that all your hard work will pay off in the end. When you relationship finally rises from the ashes it will unshakable. A healthy relationship can weather depression and help bring a lasting cure.

How Social Networking Communities Can Help With Depression

What is depression?

Depression interferes with your ability to work, study, eat, sleep, and have fun. It's more than just feeling sad. Sadness is a normal reaction to life's struggles, setbacks, and disappointments. Depression may feel lifeless, empty, apathetic, angry, aggressive, and restless. Experts believe that depression is caused by a combination of biological, psychological, and social factors. In other words, your lifestyle choices, relationships, and coping skills matter just as much than genetics. Some people experience just a single depressive episode in their lifetime, but more commonly, major depression is a recurring disorder.

Signs and symptoms

Depression varies from person to person, but there are some common signs and symptoms, and these include:

• Feelings of helplessness and hopelessness, nothing you can do can improve the your situation.


• Loss of interest in daily activities.


• Appetite or weight changes by more than 5% of body weight in a month.


• Sleep patters change.


• Anger or irritability, and feeling agitated, restless, or even violent. Your tolerance level is low, your temper short, and everything and everyone gets on your nerves.


• Loss of energy and feeling fatigued, sluggish, and physically drained.


• Self-loathing and strong feelings of worthlessness or guilt.


• Reckless behavior and find yourself engaged in substance abuse, compulsive gambling, reckless driving, or dangerous sports.


• Trouble focusing, making decisions, or remembering things.


• An increase in physical pain such as headaches, back pain, aching muscles, and stomach pain.

Suicide

Depression is a major risk factor for suicide. The deep despair and hopelessness that goes along with depression can make suicide feel like the only way to escape the pain. Thoughts of death or suicide are a serious symptom of depression, so take any suicidal talk or behavior seriously. Express your concern and seek professional help immediately. Talking openly about suicidal thoughts and feelings can save a life!

Types of depression

There are various types of depression that have unique symptoms, causes, and effects. Understanding the underlying cause of your depression may help you overcome the problem.

• Major depression is characterized by the inability to enjoy life and experience pleasure and typically lasts for about six months.


• Dysthmia is a chronic low-grade depression that lasts for at least 2 years. More days than not, you feel mildly or moderately depressed, although you may have brief periods of normal mood. If you suffer from dysthymia, you may feel like you've always been depressed, also known as double depression.


• Some people get depressed in the fall or winter, when overcast days are frequent and sunlight is limited. Seasonal affective disorder is treatable by light therapy, a treatment that involves exposure to bright artificial light.


• Bipolar disorder finds someone typically switching from one mood extreme to another, and lasts for at least several weeks. Antidepressants can make bipolar depression worse.

Ask for help and support

The key to depression recovery is to start small and ask for help. If even the thought of tackling your depression seems overwhelming, don't panic there is assistance. Having a strong support system in place will speed your recovery. Isolation fuels depression, so reach out to others. Let your family and friends know what you're going through and how they can support you. Otherwise seek assistance from online health communities.

What are online health communities?

Online health communities or electronic support groups have emerged when enough people have registered to sustain public discussions, on a health related topic. The advantages of online health communities over face-to-face groups include absence of geographic and transport barriers; anonymity from stigmatizing, embarrassing, and sensitive issues; increasing self-disclosure; and encouraging honesty. Even people with rare diseases can find peers online. The anonymity of online communities may facilitate the participation of certain people, who may be culturally and socially conditioned not to ask for help and support. Some health communities are facilitated by trained professionals, either oncology nurses, counselors, or survivors.

However, the disadvantages of online health communities include a considerable amount of "noise," negative emotions persuade, and lack of physical contact. As with content found online, there have been concerns over inaccurate information exchange online health communities. As honesty is taken at face value, where accomplishments, photos and updates cannot be fully verified, there are no system fact checkers, within the online world.

What types of messages are exchanged?

Information exchanged in health communities, show 80% of information giving or seeking personal opinions, encouragement, support, and personal experiences, and 20% prayers. Women are engaging in supportive messages more frequently than men, who used the electronic community primarily for information exchange.

What are the effects on well-being and health outcomes?

The various types of social networking such as e-mail, blogs and chat-rooms can increase social isolation and decreased mental health and psychological wellbeing. Heavy Internet use can be associated with increases in loneliness and depression and tended to increase stress. However, most people find that within online communities, comfort and support from others found within the communities.

Make healthy lifestyle changes

Healthy lifestyle changes are not always easy to make, but they can have a big impact on depression. Lifestyle changes that can be very effective may include:

• Supportive relationships - family, friends, group circles


• Getting regular exercise and sleep


• Eating healthfully to naturally boost mood


• Practicing relaxation techniques

Seek professional help

There are many other effective treatments for depression, including therapy, medication, and alternative treatments. Speak with your doctor about any of these treatments, but also visit online health communities to see how others are treating their depression.

Are My Feelings Normal? The 7 Stages of Grief Explained

Unfortunately, most individuals will face the loss of a loved one throughout their lifetime. That loss may be from a death, divorce, or the destruction of a friendship. Whatever it may be, most individuals will respond to this loss with grief. Grief is an expression of emotional pain that is specifically associated with the feeling of extreme pain and sorrow. When a person is grieving, they will often experience several different stages of their grief. The Seven Stages of Grief are loose interpretations of the stepping stones an individual experiences when facing a loss. These seven stages are good guidelines as to what to expect, however, there is much variance between individuals and the stages can occur out of order, multiple times, or at the same time as another stage.

The first stage is Shock and Denial. This stage is defined by an individual denying the loss of a loved one in an attempt to avoid the pain and suffering that is associated with their loss. Individuals often have a difficult time accepting reality and have trouble determining what has really occurred.

The second stage is Pain, Guilt, and Fear. With this stage comes a feeling of intense pain along with feelings that life is extremely chaotic or out of hand. Thoughts of guilt may occur and individuals may become fearful of their life ahead. They are fearful that they can not go on with life without the loved one.

The third stage is Anger and Bargaining. During this stage questions may arise like, "why me?" or "what did I do to deserve this?" This is a period of intense anger and hatred where emotional outbursts, the blaming of others, and bitterness often occurs. Other valuable relationships may possibly be destroyed as a result. An individual will begin to attempt negotiations with God in hopes to relieve their extreme suffering.

The fourth stage in the Seven Stages of Grief is Depression, Loneliness, and Reflection. This is a period where the loss fully sinks in, and an individual feels the full effects from the loss of a loved one. He or she feels like it is a battle to wake up every morning, and classic signs of depression appear including insomnia, loss of appetite, and hopelessness.

The fifth stage is called The Upward Turn. This is a period where an individual begins to make a turn for the better and starts to adjust to the loss. Their life becomes a little less stressful and a bit more organized. Depression symptoms start to disappear and the individual begins to feel a sense of calmness.

The sixth stage is called Reconstruction of Life and Working Through. In this stage, a person begins to rebuild their own life without the presence of the loved one. There is a desire to fix themselves and face the truths of their loss. They begin to realize the promise of the future and start to release the pain of the past.

The final stage is called Acceptance and Hope. This is a time where the individual may not be happy, but the grieving individual is capable of remembering the lost loved one without feeling devastating emotional pain. They are slowly recovering from grief with a new sense of life and responsibility. They may not return to the person they were before the loss, but they learn to deal with reality and move forward.

These stepping stones are just the beginning in ones journey in recovering from grief. The individual still has much to face, but they start looking forward to the future and find happiness in what the have. Once more, it is important to note that these Seven Stages of Grief are not the same for everyone, and every individual may face different challenges within their own personal journey to find the joy in life once again.

Symptoms of Depression That You Need To Know

While estimated to affect up to 20 million American adult every year, depression can be easily diagnosed and treated. All of us suffer from sadness at one time or another but people with true depression suffers from recurring and frequent long term symptoms. But if we all suffer from sadness or feelings of being depressed from time to time, how do you know if you already have a depression problem?

Here are some depression symptoms to help you. Not all people have all the same symptoms or even at the same time. If you suspect your or someone you know may be suffering from depression the best thing to do is consult a doctor.

- Unexplained crying

- Lethargy

- Indecisiveness and difficulty in concentrating

- Anger, worry, worry, agitation and irritability

- Prolonged sadness

- Negativity or pessimism

- Loss of energy

- Thoughts of death and suicide

- Unexplained body aches and pains

- Social withdrawal

- Feelings of guilt and sense of worthlessness

- Irregular sleep patterns and loss of appetite

- Fatigue even without heavy physical activity

- Lack of interest to surroundings

A medical check-up for depression will include a complete physical examination to rule out any other health problems and to get a detailed clinical history. When being diagnosed, you must be honest with your feelings to help the doctor arrive at the correct diagnosis. Though we've listed the most common depression symptoms above, never do any self diagnosis or rely on unqualified opinions from friends or family. Only a trained medical practitioner can determine if you are indeed suffering from depression and he will be able to help in recommending the proper care for you.

Also note that one type of depression is recurrent, this means the depression episodes regularly happen. This could be as regular as once a month or as far between as several years.

Depression must never be covered up. Do not be ashamed or embarrassed if you are diagnosed with depression. You should accept the problem and seek medical assistance. No one is immune from depression. People from all walks of life, ethnic groups and ages could be affected. And as mentioned earlier, over 20 million suffer from it every year so realize that you are not alone.

Believe and want to get cured and you have won half the battle in overcoming this condition.

Changing Your Life - From Listless Depression to Passionate Purpose

Depression, the feeling of complete hopelessness, where your spirit is tired and any activity seems to be too much work. The mind and body become tired at the simple thought of standing up even though there is a part of the mind that knows that a walk, exercise or some other activity would be of benefit. It feels as though is would be too much effort to even stand, like a heavy lead suit is being worn, which is so heavy to move. Sleep appears to be the only answer; it is the simplest and easiest escape from the cause of the depression.

Depression seems to be the body's reaction to something that the mind can not deal with. A problem that is so completely overwhelming that there appears to be no possible solution. The problem can be one thing or a combination of many; it can be physical, mental, emotional, financial or spiritual problems. The mind's inability to deal with the problems causes the body to step back and shut down. A form of protection, it slows the body's impulses so that the mind and soul are able to hide from the perceived problem.

Is the depression truly a problem or is it in fact a cry from the soul for the mind and body to create changes to how the person has been living. Is it an internal red stop light, a clue from your soul that the path you have been on needs to be altered, adjusted or completely abandoned and corrected altogether? Is depression the soul's way of stopping the activities that one has been doing, so there is time to look inside to find the path that would serve us better?

What happens when we choose not to listen to the advice of the soul? When we are ignoring the call of our soul are we creating an ongoing battle with bouts of depression? A battle that comes and goes, leaving us to continue walking the path of our own unhappiness for a while longer, and then resurfacing to see if we are ready to make the life changes that the soul is calling for.

Depression often occurs when the same things keep happening repeatedly. The life path has become a crooked circle that leads no where except back onto itself, again and again in a limitless loop. So does the soul use depression as a tool to slow the body down, so the mind can see that it is walking the same path for the 10th, 20th or even the 100th time around? Is this slowing down the souls way of giving the body and the mind a chance to ask for something more, for an escape from the monotony of life? Or is it the soul's way of demanding something more, to help the body and mind to find a door where there was no door before?

The soul longs to open a door to a new existence, to a new path. A path filled with purpose, passion, joy and happiness. A path that leads to a reason for living, to show us something more, a life filled with purpose.

How does a life filled with purpose compare to a life of depression? A life of depression is a life of survival, with a sense of being lost, feeling hopeless, scared and worried. A life of depression is often empty of joy, inspiration, and fun, with no reason for its existence; of just getting by, but not knowing why.

By comparison, a life of purpose, passion and joy is a life being thoroughly lived, with a reason and a much greater meaning than we can actually see. However we can feel the difference, the energy, the internal drive and confidence, the creative thoughts and the sense of joy and accomplishment.

So how does a person shift from a life of depression, hopelessness and fear to open their heart, mind and soul to embrace a life of purpose, passion and joy? There is no magic formula, no special pill or quick and easy exercise. What is available is a variety of tools that can assist a person in creating the desired shift. Which combination of tools will work for you? It is a process of trial and error and that is ok. Some tools feel so right like an exercise that rejuvenates you or a book that brings you hope. Other tools are not as effective for you, even though your friend, family or coworker swears by them, you tried them and just could not feel any benefit and that too is ok.

Making the effort to try is a sign to your soul and to the higher power of the Universe that you are sincere in creating change in your life. That you are listening to the whispers of your own soul's desire and are ready to claim a life filled with purpose. Use the tools to change your energy to a higher level, find a reason to create a shift and forgive yourself for staying stuck in a place that you truly did not want to be in!

Living your life on purpose occurs when you decide what things you passionately want in life. Passion is the fuel that your heart and soul uses to get what you desire. Make the commitment to yourself, to your future, to think about your life. Create a plan, just for you. Are you ready to discover what you really want from life? Is it time to bring purpose, passion and hope into your world and use them to change your life?

New Treatments for Depression Under Research

Many physicians believe that depression can have an effect on a person's vitality as well as their mental health. In cases were the depression was a side effect of some form of illness, physicians found that using depression medications to treat the depression, also helped to treat the illness.

But if depression can complicate physical illness, it can also be the sole reason for a wide variety of symptoms that resemble those of physical ailments. In a four-year study, doctors at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, found fatigue the single most frequent depression symptom of patients diagnosed as depressed.

Sometimes the patients felt so exhausted they couldn't go through their daily routine. Yet at the same time they reported they couldn't sleep well. They would doze off, and then wake up early in the morning and toss for hours. In fact, any sudden tendency to wake up very early can be one of the cardinal signs of depression.

Headaches are another common symptom. In studying 421 patients with depression, physicians found that 84 per cent complained of headache. Depressive headaches are capricious, aren't limited to one area, tend to be worse in the morning than in the evening and often resist all ordinary remedies. But once recognized for what they are, they can be relieved with specific antidepressant medication treatments for depression [http://www.nomoredepression.org/treatmentsfordepression.html].

It was also found that 75 per cent of the depressed patients in the test lost weight - from five to 20 pounds. Other symptoms included breathing difficulty, dizziness, weakness, urinary disturbance, palpitation, nausea. In a recent seminar to alert family doctors to the guises emotional troubles can take, a Harvard psychiatrist, warned that "depression symptoms are frequently referred to the gastrointestinal tract," and urged a check for depression when patients complained of gas or abdominal pains that couldn't be explained otherwise. He also warned that depression sometimes caused reduced potency in men and menstrual disturbance in women.

Nobody knows how many elderly people considered hopelessly senile are really only depressed. The signs of depression [http://www.nomoredepression.org] of the geriatric patient often remain undiagnosed. There is the feeling that he is too senile to be depressed. Actually, depressions can contribute to or even cause senile confusion.

US Retailers Looking to the Canadian Market to Propel Growth

With the US enduring the worst economic environment since the depression new markets are being eyed for growth, particularly Canada. Ease of entry makes this a logical and relatively low-risk move towards market development. Canada offers a stable economic environment (one of the best globally through the recession), political stability, and a consumer that is already very familiar with US based brands. From Target to Crate and Barrel to Marshall's and beyond - the move north is fast and furious.

Opening up shop in Canada means more than leasing retail space and marketing. The supply chain and distribution network must be clearly planned and in place. Continuously moving up product from the US can be costly, as can be establishing warehousing and distribution facilities. Quite simply, upon entry, new US retailers (and any international brand expanding into Canada, for that matter) have yet to achieve the scale required to efficiently establish dedicated distribution. This is particularly at issue with smaller entrants.

Flexible Third Party Warehousing and Distribution to Reach Largest Canadian Markets

Rather than tying up much needed capital, retailers entering the market can look to lease warehousing space on an as-needed basis. In this sense, in fact, there is no lease to speak of. Third party warehouse and inventory management companies are offering everything from product storage, management, and fulfillment/distribution services. This lets retailers utilize the space required - scale up or down as needed - and also to distribute products across the country to their locations "on demand" from a domestic distribution point. In fact, establishing distribution in the GTA market (Greater Toronto Area) provides retailers ready access to the entire "Golden Horseshoe" area, which represents over one quarter of the entire Canadian population. That proximity and ability to penetrate a relatively affluent Canadian consumer base is highly attractive. Further, the majority of Canadians live in a handful of major urban centres; distributing to Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton and Calgary markets beyond the GTA reaches even a far greater portion of the country.

The Role of E-commerce

Having a physical presence establishes the brand, yet the opportunity is increasingly attractive when the e-commerce opportunity is in place. With Canadian distribution established with a third party provider, it is a logical extension that direct-to-consumer drop shipment of online driven orders is not only possible, but increasingly essential. Almost immediately, US and international brands can establish a brick presence and e-commerce presence supported by ready-distribution with the right outsourced warehousing and distributions partner.

While the US economy continues to struggle to bounce back in the area of consumer spending, a ready market in Canada is seen to be the most logical location for growth. Executed carefully, profitable sales may be achieved with a Canadian consumer base keen to have the best brands the US has to offer. Establishing relations with the right distribution and fulfillment partner may be a key to achieving such success.