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3 Tips for Those Considering Therapy

Therapy is a great option for anyone who’s having a difficult time with some aspect of their life. Whatever you may be dealing with, there is a therapist out there who has gone through years of training to figure out the best way to help. Therapists can offer tips for coping and a plan to help people get to the place they want to be mental. Here are some things to consider if you are looking into giving therapy a shot.

Work out your schedule prior

Make some time for therapy and for yourself. It is crucial that you learn to treat your mental health like any other health issue. Practising good mental health should be like eating well and exercising well. Mental health is for everyone, even if you don’t currently have a pressing issue. Your mind and body should both be healthy, which is why making time for therapy is like scheduling a physical at the doctor! Make sure to think of your mental health in this way and encourage others to do so as well. Speaking to your family and friends about this topic is worthwhile, so long as you feel comfortable with it. Tell them you have decided to make time for your mental health in the near future.

Figure out a time that works for you and contact a therapist at a place like Therapy Group of NYC to see what spots they have available. Group therapy practices can more easily work with your schedule and they can often give you multiple appointments and treatment options.

Work on yourself outside of therapy

Therapy takes more than simply showing up to your appointments. When thinking of therapy, make time for practising the exercises you learn in your everyday life. Make time to journal and reflect on your experience. You can’t expect your therapist to do everything for you — they are here to help you hold yourself accountable. It will be amazing to realize you have made a habit of new healthy mental health practices you learned in therapy.

Even if it means using your daily commute to work as your reflection time, do it! Taking the time you have and using it positively will elevate your therapy experience. 

Share your thoughts and concerns

Take time to talk with others about your journey as well, if you feel the environment is right for it (but never feel like you’re obligated to do so). Creating a forthcoming narrative will open up the minds of your family and friends about therapy. They might realize that they want to be in a better place as well. Therapy is a positive form of treatment for many people, and it should be openly discussed — you never know who else could benefit from therapy in your life. Others close to you could also be struggling and hearing someone they trust to discuss their positive experience might help them take the initiative they need to become their best self.

Nobody is perfect, so it’s also great to communicate when you aren’t happy with yourself or are having a hard time. Speaking with your friends and family about your experience can help you reflect and see what you need to do to make tomorrow better. Therapy helps you learn how to deal with setbacks and realize that failing is okay.

This will also help remove the stigma surrounding mental health issues. Mental health is for everyone; if you are having issues committing to therapy, think about your goals in life. Think about how much easier they will be to accomplish with a clear head. Take a chance and you won’t regret your decision to proactively take care of your mental health.

7 Things Parents Should Know About the Co-Sleeping Debate

When the discussion is on parenting one of the hottest topics is undoubtedly Co-sleeping. Every single parent does have a different opinion in this regard which makes this topic a highly debated one. Many say that co-sleeping helps in creating a natural bonding experience with the baby and also ensures each one of them gets a peaceful night’s sleep. But there are some precautions which are must to taken by the parents opting for co-sleeping. Here we will make an effort to explain 7 Things Parents Should Know About the Co-Sleeping Debate. So, co-sleeping parents scroll down to know more…

  1. Co-sleeping helps your baby breathes well: Bed-sharing help babies to breathe slowly and easily. Baby’s cardio-respiratory systems are not completely matured when they take birth, and they need to struggle sometimes to breathe. Experts say babies follow their mother’s breathing rhythm. It’s true that babies breathe faster than any grownups, but parents’ slower pace of breathing helps them to calm down and find a rhythm.
  2. Co-sleeping reduces stress in infants: One key benefit of co-sleeping is that it supports reducing the stress levels in babies. You need to understand that, when parents co-sleep with babies they get the scope to respond faster to the infant’s crying than moving to another room to attend. Stress factor exists in babies too and so co-sleeping with babies calms them down faster.
  3. Co-sleeping makes it easy for a mother to breastfeed: Bed-sharing makes it easy for a mother to breastfeed. The best part is that the mother actually doesn’t need to completely stay awake for feeding her hungry baby at night. children sharing a bed with their mother most likely continue breastfeeding for a longer period. Both mother and child get quality sleep for staying close and she doesn’t need to compromise with her bed comfort to feed the baby.
  4. Share the bed safely with your baby: If you are going for sharing a bed with the baby then you need to look at safety factors. For example, we recommend you to remove pillows and blankets which can spill off the baby’s head. You avoid taking drugs, alcohol and even smoking before hitting the bed as it may cause discomfort for the baby.  Sleep with one child in your bed and better you take  Baby Co-Sleepers for your baby attached to your bed. Don’t forget to provide the ultimate comfort for your little one with high-quality swaddles designed to ensure a peaceful and secure sleep environment like this one with Caden Lane.
  5. Co-sleeping is not a way to spoil your child: For new moms, it’s basically impossible to spoil the baby. Babies or infants have certain needs which the mother must meet. Secondly, the baby comfortably settles down on the bed when they sleep next to mom. They calm down faster when they get the smell of their mother’s milk. Co-sleeping gives the scope to baby to sleep close to mother with a great feeling of comfort
  6. Co-sleeping makes babies more independent when they grow up: Many people argue that co-sleeping makes it difficult for the child to settle down in another room when they grow up and never learn to be independent. Technically, it’s not true. Many studies proved how children who used to sleep in parents’ beds as babies are more independent in life and less afraid when compared to children who did not go for co-sleeping.
  7. Dangers and risks are part of co-sleeping: You may think that after sharing so many positive things about co-sleeping why we indicate danger and risk. Well, the fact is that we don’t recommend co-sleeping always because there are few dangers associated with it if precautions are not taken. In deep sleep, a parent may roll right on the baby. Aside from this, even the arms of a parent might fall on the babyface leading to suffocation. There are many other things that can cause risk to a baby life. If required precautions for safety are taken to avoid such instances, then co-sleeping is strongly recommended.

5 Ideas to Choose The Perfect Gift for Your Best Friend

With Christmas around the corner, it’s time to choose gifts for friends and family. Giving someone a gift shows affection and appreciation for them. When we buy gifts for family members or close friends, we need to be more thoughtful or selective in the process, because of the close bond we share with them. Personalized Bee have on offer the best gifts for friends & colleagues.

Whether we buy them something pricey or something unique, it should reflect our feelings for them. Shopping online is a great way to get the best prices, greater variety, and have them delivered at home. If you plan to buy wool socks set, or a cashmere sweater, shop online to save money and time.

A few tips that might come in handy when selecting a gift for your best friend are:

Create a list of their likes: Since you’re the best of friends, you’ll be well aware of their interests, hobbies, etc. Create a list of their preferences or interests, and try to zero in on something special that will bring joy to them. Do a bit of brainstorming. If you can manage to combine a few ideas to come up for an extraordinary and unique gift, there’s nothing quite like it. Whatever gift you settle for must reflect your admiration and affection for your best friend.

Reflect on things discussed in the past: Another great way to come up with a remarkable gift is to reflect on the time spent together in the past. From camping together to doing different activities, try to jog your memory about things discussed. On many occasions, your friend, unwittingly, must have revealed what they would like to receive as a present. Use this to help you in your choice of gift. 

Try to analyze what they need the most: As close friends that probably meet up regularly at each other’s homes, you might have noticed something that would be ideal to give them as a gift. Whether it’s something small like a photo frame or something more substantial, you probably have a fair idea of what will suit their needs. If you could create a small package and combine a few items, it would be great! From themed gifts to flower baskets, there are so many things online to choose from as a gift. If you want to go the extra mile with your gifts, check MANLYMANCO.COM for a wide selection of out-of-the-box gift ideas such as jerky flower bouquets.

Presentation matters: Instead of just wrapping it up in gift paper and giving it like a regular gift, make it something exciting, like an event.  Make it a memorable experience by hiding it, and sending them on a treasure hunt. Make it different and unique as the anticipation that builds up when going to receive a gift is exciting for both the person about to receive a gift and the giver upon seeing their reaction.

Personalize it: Since you’re giving a gift to your best friend, personalize the experience. Add a note or a card mentioning how much they mean to you, and the joy and happiness they have brought into your life.

Follow These 3 Advises to Find Love in 2019

A lot of tips for finding dates or meeting potential partners are out there. You could spend more time hanging out at the grocery store or join a club or a church group. You could even update your online dating profile. Whether you’re looking for an Interracial dating site or wanting silver singles, there’s a dating site full of potential dating partners out there.

Finding love is more than just seeing a date. It’s really about finding someone you’re compatible with – not only the one with chemistry, but someone who you want to spend time with, and has that magical ability to make you feel good.

Love is the ability to still get excited when your partner walks into the room after the magical honeymoon period is over. Love is the will to put in the work to have a genuine relationship. Love is being able to sit in silence and be completely at ease with each other. Love is what everybody wants, but so few of us are lucky enough to find it.

Find yourself

When looking for your ideal partner, your goal shouldn’t be to have somebody there to save you. It should be more about having someone you can build a relationship with. If you don’t know who you are, no one else will, either. It’s a good idea to sit down and take some time to figure out who you really are.

Whether this is through some type of self-discovery involving coaching, counselling, or just doing the work on your own, your future self and your prospective mate will both appreciate that you took the time to put in the work. Understanding who you are makes it a lot easier to understand what you want.

Enjoy the journey

Desperation isn’t attractive. Even if it’s just in the name of efficiency, deciding to settle for the first person you have a date with probably won’t work out. Dating takes patience and practice. Your mindset can go a long way in making this a positive experience.

Enjoy the journey! Use this time to improve your interpersonal skills, and start to learn about what it is you actually want in a partner.

The more people you spend time with, the more you’ll discover what you actually want.

Take the time to think about what you might want in a partner. Then think about what you actually have to offer. Refine what you desire and improve what you have to offer as you go through the process.

Once you get an idea of what you want, throw your list away. People aren’t commodities to be checked off of a grocery list. This doesn’t mean you need to give up on your dreams of having a perfect love and the ideal relationship. It just means that being open to possibilities can lead to dating success. Think about how the person you’re with makes you feel; not how they make you look.

Be the person they deserve

Now that you know what you want, and you have some experience meeting people and going out with people, it might be time for some more introspection. When you find that perfect dream man or dream woman, would you be an ideal partner for them? Take the time to work on yourself, and then be the ideal partner that your dream partner deserves.

6 Ways to Keep Your Gums Healthy

When it comes to maintaining oral health, it is essential that you not only focus on the teeth, your gums to need proper care and attention. Your gums deserve special care to stay healthy. When the gums are healthy, it will certainly not culminate into gum disease.

About Gum Disease

Gum disease starts when plaque forms under the gum line. A sticky substance that is filled with bacteria is known as Plaque. It causes infections that hurt the bone and gum subsequently decaying of tooth and gum disease. Plaque causes gingivitis which leads to inflammation, swelling of the gum making the gum prone to bleeding.

Another significant gum disease is periodontitis which has an impact on the bones which hold the teeth in position. If it is left untreated, then it can damage the gums, tissues, and bones connected to the teeth.

Advanced periodontitis is the final & ultimate stage of gum disease where the bone & fibres supporting the teeth gets destroyed. You will face immense difficulty when it comes to biting any food and requires the teeth to get removed. (1)

Signs Of Gum Diseases

Signs that are an indication that you have gum disease include the following:

  • Constantly bad breath & taste
  • Permanent teeth getting separated or becoming loose
  • Gums which easily bleeds
  • Swollen gums
  • Gums which have pulled away from the teeth

Gums disease can be prevented. There are a few things that can be done to keep the gums healthy.

  • Brush Teeth Properly

You should devote 4 minutes a day to brush your teeth; 2mins for brushing teeth in the morning and 2 mins for brushing teeth before retiring to bed. Here arises the need for brushing teeth with an electric toothbrush. The electric toothbrush comes with an inbuilt timer that reminds you not only to brush teeth for 2mins but when to move your toothbrush from one quadrant to another. Make sure the toothpaste that you use should contain fluoride as it is effective in eliminating plaque. Brush your teeth in a gentle, scrubbing & circular motion. Whether you choose an electric toothbrush or an ordinary toothbrush, it must have a small head thus making it easier to reach even the difficult corner.

  • Choose Toothbrush Which Soft Bristles

A toothbrush that has hard bristles easily hurt the gums, thus it is highly recommended to buy the one that comes with soft bristles. Most of the dentists suggest brushing teeth with an electric toothbrush to the patients as it is effective in cleaning the teeth & eliminates plaque.

  • Be Watchful Of Your Food

To keep your gums healthy, it is imperative that you should be watchful of what you eat. As you consume the food, it gets mixed with bacteria which are present in the mouth leading to disease in the gums. You must consume calcium-rich foods like milk and cheese. Calcium, a crucial mineral nutrient for the teeth is vital for children as well as aged people. Try to avoid savouries like pastries, candies & other sweets items.

  • Quit Smoking

Smoking not only causes stains on the teeth, loss of tooth and bad breath but also leads to gum disease. So, it is advisable that give up smoking and never let gum disease creates discomfort.

  • Rinse Mouth After Flossing & Brushing

The mouth is that part of the body that carries the maximum bacteria. Therefore, make sure to clean the teeth regularly & appropriately. Flossing & brushing of teeth is not adequate; rinse mouth with a mouthwash that prevents accumulation of bacteria & plaque.

  • Go For A Regular Dental Check-Up

It is the dentist who can detect early gum disease signs & symptoms when you visit them on a regular basis. By means of professional cleaning, you can get rid of any kind of disease on your gums.

When you follow the above-mentioned ways, you can indeed keep your gums healthy.  

Sometimes God Puts You Through Pain Just So He Could Give You A Chance To Become Stronger And Better

How many times has someone told you that everything that happens in your life always happens for a reason? How many times have you heard that no matter how sad or hurt you feel, there’s always something good about it?

How many times has someone told you that you need to hit a rock bottom first before you stand up and gain strength to achieve success, be it personal or professional? That sometimes you need to fight and lose a couple of small battles in order to win a greater war?

How many times have you heard that every pain or loss you’ve been through will sooner or later turn out to be nothing else but a hard and valuable lesson?

How many times have you been told to “always have faith that things will get better and never give up?”

And every time someone told you things like these, I’m sure you thought of them as just meaningless phrases and empty clichés that people told you so as to comfort you and make you feel better and nothing more.

Well, let me tell you that those words are not empty clichés. They’re the truth, regardless of whether you believe in them or not.

Since everything that happens in your life always happens for a bigger cause and every heartbreak and pain you’ve experienced brings you something good sooner or later.

I understand that whenever someone hurt your feelings, broke your heart, or humiliated you or whenever you lost someone who was very close and meant to you a lot, you wondered what you’d done to deserve God to punish you that way. 

You wondered why God put all that heavy burden on your shoulders and put you through so much pain when you hadn’t done anyone anything wrong or bad to deserve that.

But let me tell you that you’re not the only one who wonders why you need to go through difficult, painful times before you can be happy. You’re not the only one who wonders why you need to feel like you’re falling apart before you get the chance to feel whole and complete again.

And the answer to all of these questions is actually pretty simple: Every heartbreak and hardship you come across in your life is a test of your resilience and strength. It’s a test of your faith.

Whenever you’re hurting, this is an opportunity for you to become tougher and more resilient. It’s an opportunity for you to grow both personally and professionally.

Whenever you’re at your lowest, it’s a chance for you to extend your limits and see how strong and determined you are to lift yourself up, heal your wounds, and move on with your life.

When you feel disappointed and hurt by someone, it’s an opportunity for you to see who deserves to call them your friends and who doesn’t deserve a place in your life. It’s an opportunity for you to distance yourself from all toxic, negative people in your life.

When God puts you through pain, he’s giving you a chance to become stronger and better. He’s giving you a chance to reach the deepest parts of yourself and connect with your true self. He’s giving you a chance to become more aware of your strength, bravery, and worth.

When God puts you through pain, he’s giving you a chance to learn from your mistakes and never repeat them again. He’s giving you a chance to see what you’re made of and what you’re capable of doing and enduring to reach your happiness.

And one thing you need to make sure you always remember is that God never gives you more than you can possibly handle.

God knows who you are. He knows your mind and your soul. He knows all your deepest fears. He knows all the pain and hardship you’ve been through. He knows how much you can take.

Therefore, he sometimes sends toxic people in your life so as to teach you who deserves a place in your life and who doesn’t. He sends those people in your life to remind you to treat with kindness, compassion, and a lot of love the people who truly love and care about you.

God sometimes sends difficult, toxic people in your life and puts you through pain so as to remind you to be grateful for everything that you have in life and appreciate more the people who genuinely love you.

Sometimes God brings you closer to such people so that you learn how to respect and value yourself more and learn when it’s time to let go of those people who don’t deserve to be in your life and who are just standing in the way to your happiness and success.

To conclude, remember that no matter how many times life knocks you down, that’s part of God’s plan. It’s a part of his plan to leave scars on your soul so that they always remind you of everyone and everything that made you become the person you’re today – wiser, stronger, and better than you’ve ever been.

Here’s Why Genuinely Happy Couples Post Less About Their Love Life On Social Media

happy couples don't post on social media

Social media has set a new trend – if every moment from your life and relationship is not posted on Facebook, Instagram, or any other social networking site, then it never happened.

Yes, some people just can’t stop flaunting all the good things in their lives. They constantly post photos or statuses about what they’re doing or thinking or who they’re hanging out with at a particular time. And one particular thing they simply can’s stop showing off online is their relationship status.

I’m sure you have that one friend who shares every little detail about their relationship on social media. She or he always has some kind of tacky stuff to post targeted at their bae.

Whether it’s a photo of their romantic dinners, birthdays, vacations, anniversaries, or surprise gifts they give each other or a status about how much they love their partner, their posts keep appearing on your news feed.

It might seem silly or weird to those who don’t post every detail about their lives on social media, but those who do get a real kick when their posts get over 200 likes and comments.

So, the question is: Is it really necessary to show off one’s relationship status? NO. I believe many will agree that this is cheesy, boring, and irritating for most of us. And the truth is that oversharing information about your love life doesn’t exactly indicate that you’re really happy in your relationship. And the reason for this is pretty simple:

Couples who are indeed happy and fulfilled in their relationship prefer spending time together rather than wasting it on posting statuses and photos about their relationship on social media.

Here are 6 reasons why happy couples don’t post about their love life on social media:

1. They don’t need other people’s approval.

Genuinely happy couples don’t feel the need for other people to think they’re happy in their relationship. They don’t bother to post long romantic or emotional statuses about how happy they are with their partner or pictures of their romantic dates.

When you know that your bae really makes you feel loved, fulfilled, and happy and that you’re greatly enjoying your relationship, what other people think or say about your relationship is completely irrelevant to you.

2. When they’re really happy with each other, they have less time for checking and posting on social media.

Regardless of what you’re doing and where you are, when you’re with your partner, you’re thoroughly enjoying the time you’re spending together. In those moments of pure happiness and pleasure and when you feel like you’re lost in each other, things, like posing for pictures or typing comments about how much fun you’re having together is the last thing on your mind.

When you’re indeed happy with your bae, you enjoy every moment of your relationship in real life not on social media.

3. They don’t feel the need to compare their lives and relationships with those of other people.

Couples who are really happy in their relationship and who feel truly loved and comfortable in each other’s company are not interested in finding out whether other couples are happier and have a more successful relationship than them.

Feeling genuinely satisfied and happy with their relationship is the only thing they care about and when they feel that way, they don’t bother to compete with others.

4. They know that making their arguments public won’t help them overcome them.

Sharing your struggles and fights with the rest of the world won’t help you resolve any problem or make you feel better about yourself and the relationship. Instead, it’ll just create more issues when others begin sharing their “words of wisdom” with you and meddling in your relationship.

This can especially be a huge problem when people who like gossiping and don’t mind hurting other people’s feelings begin taking an interest in your relationship and spreading rumors and all kinds of lies about you.  

Therefore, make sure you keep all your dirty laundry within the relationship and never give your social media contacts the opportunity to feast on it.

5. They don’t need to prove anything to other people.

When you’re genuinely happy with your partner, you don’t feel the need to post “evidence” of your happiness on social media. Unfortunately, there are many people who post too much about their love life not because they are gushing with happiness but because they want to impress others or sometimes even to make their ex-partner jealous.

When you’re indeed happy with your bae, they’re the only person you want to impress and share details about your life with, not your followers.

6. They don’t feel the need to seek other people’s validation.

When you know that you are accepted, respected, and valued by your partner, you don’t seek this validation externally. To put it simply, you don’t feel the constant need to post statuses and photos about your love life on your Facebook or Instagram profile.

You feel happy, fulfilled, and accepted when you’re with your significant other, not when you brag about it on social media.

How to get great skin through intermittent fasting

How to Get Great Skin Using the Best Jade Roller for Face and Intermittent Fasting

Like eDiva’s jade roller, the best jade roller for face, intermittent fasting is getting a lot of hype lately as the new diet to finally end our weight woes. The thing is, it’s not a diet. It doesn’t tell you what you can or can’t eat, nor does it tell you how many calories you can eat in a day. What it does tell you is when you can eat.

Intermittent fasting cuts up your 24 hours in a day into 2: the hours you fast and the window when you can eat. There are many variations but the most popular one is the 16/8 or 16 hours of fast and an 8-hour window for “feasting.” The idea is to give your body breathing room from digesting.

Frequently used for weight loss or maintenance, intermittent fasting can affect our skin. Combined with eDiva’s jade roller, the best jade roller for face, it cans clear acne and help us get great skin by:

Reducing insulin resistance

We develop insulin resistance when we eat carbs and sugar our bodies can no longer burn. The more sugar we have in our system, the more insulin the pancreas releases to process all that sugar. But too much insulin causes our body to release IGF-1, IL-1 and IGFBP-3. These hormones can clog our pores and induce our skin to produce too much oil, which leads to inflammation and acne. Even if we use the best jade roller for face every evening, the acne comes back. The only way is to go on an intermittent fast to give our body a chance to keep our insulin level down.

Increasing oxidative resistance

Free radicals cause damage to us on a cellular and acne is just one of the physical manifestations we can have when they’re getting the better of us. They’re everywhere and unless you live in a sanitized bubble, there’s no way to escape them. Intermittent fasting increases our oxidative resistance and help us fight off free radicals.

Promoting deeper and longer sleep

We all know how important sleep is to our skin and health. Intermittent fasting promotes deep and restful sleep, allowing our bodies to rebuild and fortify against stress, free radicals and other factors that help acne get a leg up.

Best jade roller for face and lymph drainage

Intermittent fasting also works well with lymphatic drainage. Using the simple but beautiful eDiva jade roller, the best jade roller for face, to give our face a gentle massage and to decongest our lymphatic system. Intermittent fasting breaks down sugar and fat in our bodies, and the waste generated from this process are expelled through the lymphatic system.

Intermittent fasting doesn’t promise an overnight cure or spot treatment for acne. Instead, it addresses the root causes of acne by restoring balance and optimizing the way our bodies process nutrients and expel waste. You can complement it with a healthy diet, exercise and massages to boost your health and wellness more.

8 Habits Of People With Hidden Depression

Depression is a serious mental condition. Depression is not temporary sadness, loneliness, or disappointment in life. It’s not crying or dressing in black.  Depression is much more than that. It’s overwhelming and debilitating. It’s a condition that affects every part of your life and deprives you of fully enjoying it.

Depression is a condition that doesn’t only have a tight grip on your mind, but also on your ability to freely and openly talk about it.

Unfortunately, there are many people in the world who suffer silently out of embarrassment or pride. Some of them don’t feel comfortable expressing their emotions and talking about their condition to others and the rest may not even be aware that they have a problem.

Most people with concealed depression try to avoid acknowledging the seriousness of their condition. They tend to think that if they just continue ignoring their depressive feelings and just keep living their life,  their condition will go away on its own. While in some cases, this might work, in most cases, it just prolongs the suffering.

Keeping this in mind and the fact that there are many people who avoid talking about their feelings so as not to worry others with their troubles, we need to be able to recognize the signs of hidden depression so as to identify if someone close to us or someone we know suffers from this condition.

Here are 8 habits of people with concealed depression:

1. They withdraw from activities.

Their depression makes it very difficult for them to enjoy the activities they once enjoyed a lot. Their energy levels start to decrease since the pain gets more intense. Therefore, they lose interest in their job, school, hobbies, and even friendships and family life.

People with hidden depression don’t want to admit that they have a problem and they hope that by withdrawing from activities nobody will notice what they’re going through.

2. They have a unique and more complex perception of life and death.

Of course, not every person who suffers from depression is suicidal. However, this awful condition makes many people who suffer from it contemplate about their mortality.

The reason for this is that they are incessantly trying to find answers to all of important life’s questions. They often struggle with negative, pessimistic thoughts and this can cause them to think about their mortality more often.

3. They have no energy.

Depression drains their energy. It makes them feel emotionally, mentally, and physically exhausted. It makes them feel so weak that even putting one foot in front of the other can feel like running a marathon.

The constant, unbearable thoughts of sadness and hopelessness combined with poor appetite, high stress levels, and sleep deprivation make their life an everyday battle.

People who have hidden depression might even begin distancing themselves from their family and friends since they have no energy to hang out with them.

4. They have eating disorders.

In a lot of cases, people who suffer from depression have a disturbed meal pattern. Gary Kennedy, MD, director of geriatric psychiatry at Montefiore Medical Center in Bronx, New York, says:

“A sudden change in weight, either gaining or losing, can be a warning of depression, especially in someone who has other symptoms of depression or a history of depression.”

So, if you notice a sudden change in weight in someone close to you or someone you know, make sure you find out whether they have depression, and if they do, ensure you help them.

5. They suffer from chronic insomnia.

People who struggle with depression often have difficulties falling or staying asleep. Sleep deprivation is bad because it intensifies depressive feelings. However, many doctors believe treating insomnia will lower those depressive symptoms in people suffering from this awful condition.

6. Substance abuse.

Unfortunately, for some people suffering from depression, the easiest way to escape reality and their depressing thoughts is by drowning their sadness and despair in alcohol or narcotic substances. While this might help them distract their busy mind for a while, it can lead to more problems down the road.

So, if you know someone who displays some kind of addictive behavior, make sure you offer them your help.

7. They fake their emotions.

In order not to admit that they suffer from depression, many people wear a ‘happy face’. When they’re in the company of other people, they try to look happy and pretend to be fine out of fear of being called “weird” or “crazy.”  

They also only engage  in superficial conversations since this helps them hide their condition from those around them.

8. They search for distractions.

To escape their depressing thoughts and excruciating pain, they look for all kinds of distraction. They usually become ultimate workaholics since keeping their mind busy helps them escape the agony their mind causes them.

So, if you notice that someone you know often stays late at work, know that he/she might be, in fact, depressed, and not a real workaholic.

50 Effective Techniques To Calm Your Anxious Mind

Anyone who has suffered from anxiety knows how overwhelming and debilitating it can be. Anxiety affects every part of your life – your relationships, your productivity, both at home and work, and, of course, your confidence and self-esteem.

Struggling with repetitive, unreasonable, and oftentimes, negative thoughts makes it difficult for you to make decisions and makes you overthink and doubt everything.

Sometimes, anxiety can get so intense, that even putting one foot in front of the other feels too difficult and unbearable. What’s even worse is that repressing your anxious thoughts never works and ignoring them is simply impossible.

So, how can you leave this vicious cycle and calm your anxious mind?

Well, we have compiled a list of 50 techniques that can help you ease your anxious mind and relax. However, we’d like to point out that not every tip on this list will be the right one for you, but we hope that at least some of them will work for you.

Here they are:

1. Get enough sleep. One of the main causes of anxiety is sleep deprivation. When your brain and body are sleep deprived, they’re not able to appropriately respond to emotional stimuli. So, in order for you to maintain a healthy mind, ensure you get seven to nine hours of good quality sleep every night.

2. Wake up at least 10 minutes earlier than the time you usually wake up. In this way, you’ll have more time to plan how you’re going to spend the day and complete all your daily responsibilities without hurrying and getting stressed out.

3. Stop over-analyzing everything. Stop worrying about things that are beyond your control. And when you find yourself over-analyzing things, try to distract yourself. Go outside. Observe nature. Call and talk to someone. Do something that makes you feel happy and peaceful.

4. Always bear in mind that not everything you feel is correct or real.

5. Clear your mind from unnecessary, confusing, negative thoughts and focus on the present moment.

6. Declutter your home. It’s not just your mind that needs to get cleared and organized, but your home too. Mess is one of the main triggers of stress and anxiety.

7. Smile more. Do the things you enjoy doing with the people who bring you happiness and joy and fill you with positive energy.

8. Exercise more. Do exercises that make you feel good and relaxed. Doing exercises is an excellent way to kill stress and calm your anxious mind.

9. Avoid foods that contain a lot of sugar.

10. Invest in yourself, broaden your knowledge of the world, and learn new skills.

11. Inspire yourself. Surround yourself with motivational videos, quotes, and positive affirmations.

12. Socialize with other people as much as you can. Make sure you regularly spend time with your family or friends. Whether you’ll stay home or go out, it doesn’t matter – just ensure you hang out with and have fun with them.

13. When you feel that your anxiety is getting more and more intense, go to someone you trust and share your problem with them.

14. Or you can find a support group. Share your problem with people who have the same or similar issues as you do and comfort and help each other.

15. Get yourself a pet – it can be the most caring companion.

16. Always remember that your anxiety is not who you are. Your anxiety doesn’t define you as a person.

17. Never reject friends or family members who offer their help and support.

18. Take a nice, warm, relaxing bath more often.

19. If you are someone who often struggles with anxiety attacks, avoid wearing heavy jewelry and tight clothing.

20. Reduce your consumption of alcohol or avoid it completely.

 

21. Replace coffee for another alternative that contains less caffeine, like tea, for example.

22. Eat healthy food and maintain a healthy weight.

23. Never postpone annoying tasks until later – finish them first.

24. Add some freshness to your life. Learn a new skill, start practicing a new hobby, gain new experiences.

25. Of course, visit places you’ve never been to before – explore the world.

26. Accept and cherish yourself the way you are – with all your flaws, whims, insecurities, bad habits, fears, and mistakes.

27. Always remember that overthinking everything rarely gives you new and useful insights.

28. Keep a journal of your day-to-day experiences. This can help you identify what triggers your anxiety.

29. Keep a journal in which you’ll keep track of all the things you’re grateful for having in your life.

30. Reduce the time you spend watching TV or using social media. Socialize with other people more and spend more time in nature instead.

31. Avoid looking for a diagnosis for your condition online. Consult a professional therapist or doctor instead.

32. Never feel guilty for suffering from anxiety and never think that everyone around you is mad at you for it.

33. Instead of creating worst case scenarios in your mind, visualize positive things.

34. Make time for reading books regularly.  This can help you divert your attention away from your anxious thoughts.

35. Get yourself a massage treatment (self-acupressure, aromatherapy, or massage blocks). Irrespective of the form, massage can greatly reduce your stress and anxiety levels.

36. Practice yoga every day.

37. Consume natural implements to relax both your mind and body. Consume herbs like Valerian, Chamomile, and Kava.

38. Time how long it takes your panic attack to build up, how long it lasts, how long it takes to calm down, and when it stops completely. This will help you better control it next time it happens.

39. Keep your mind busy while enjoying yourself. Whether you will draw, paint, solve puzzles, make jewelry, knit, or sew, it doesn’t matter – just make time for doing something that is creative.

40. Always focus on the task at hand and make sure you ignore all distractions around you.

41. Practice meditation.

42. Create your own personal success motto.

43. Warm yourself up regularly.  Spend more time in the sun, take a sauna, and enjoy a hot tub more often.

44. Listen to your favorite type of music or tunes that are relaxing.

45. Be more assertive. Don’t be afraid to speak your mind and stand up for yourself.

46. Treat yourself more often. Go to the beach, go on picnics, watch movies, go to a massage salon – do whatever fills you with positive energy and makes you feel good about yourself.

47. Don’t repress your strong emotions when your anxiety reaches its peak. Cry, shout, or pound your pillow if you feel like it, just let all that stress out.

48. Instead of focusing on your anxious thoughts all the time, make plans for your future and commit to them.

49. Stop allowing your brain to control you and change roles. Trick it into believing in positive things.

50. Have faith in yourself. Never give up. You can control anything you want – you just need to be willing enough to do that.