Healthy Living: Mind, Body, & Spirit

What NOT to do when you feel depressed!

By Karen Best Wright, B.S. Community Health Education

Most of us feel depressed at some point in our lives. Some of us are more prone to depressive episodes than others. One thing I have learned or am still learning is the importance of NOT comparing myself with others when I am feeling depressed. When a person feels depressed, whether it is caused by a major stressful event or chronic problems, the person's perspective is skewed. This is definitely not the time to be comparing ourselves to someone else. I suppose the only time that comparing my situation to others when I am going through a difficult time helps me is when it helps me realize that someone else has it much worse than I do. And, it helps me feel gratitude for my trials rather than theirs.

There are many causes for depression. Some people can be helped with medication, although that is not my first choice of alternatives. Since there are different causes, there are also different solutions, depending on the situation.

When depressive episodes hit, it is more important than ever to correct any unhealthy lifestyle choices. Ironically, when feeling depressed that is probably exactly what we don't feel like doing.

However, my point here to to NOT compare ourselves with others when we are at a low point in our lives. When we do that, we run the risk of making our depression worse. I do not have any scientific data to back me up. This is one of those, "Believe me. I have experienced it."

Karen Wright, B.S. Community Health Education
Pathway to Healthy Living
www.GrandparentingBlog.com
www.RaisingYourGrandchildren.com
www.SeniorPro.com

Breathe and Relax for Health

By Karen Best Wright, B.S. Community Health Education

Years ago when I was first learning yoga, I was so stressed that I couldn't even take a deep breath without coughing. After spending a month at a yoga ashram, I learned a lot about breathing, stretching, and relaxing.

Now, I am not as good at this as I need to be, but I have been practicing what I learned way back then to help deal with some new sudden stress that has come my way. I tend to hold my breath when I am tense, which of course only makes things worse.

When practicing deep breathing to promote relaxation and to release stress, start by sitting in a comfortable position. If you cannot, then practice your deep breathing where ever you happen to be.

Start by exhaling out as much air as you can, pulling your abdomen in to exhale as much air as possible. Slowing breathe filling the abdomen first and continue slowly breathing filling the chest. Hold the breath for a few seconds, and then slowly exhale starting with the chest and then the abdomen. Repeat this several times.

If I let stress mount in my life unchecked, I seem to revert back to upside-down shallow chest breathing, which only makes the stress worse. And then I have to reteach myself how to breathe and relax.

Alternate nostril breathing can also be done to help balance yourself and promote relaxation. This is done by:

• Blocking the left nostril with your right ring finger and pinky. Breathe deeply and slowly through the right nostril as described above.
• Then alternate by blocking your right nostril with your right thumb and exhaling slowly out the left nostril. Breathe in slowly through the left nostril.
• Then repeat by blocking the left nostril again with your right ring finger and pinky and exhaling slowly out the right nostril.
• Practice this for 10 minutes a few times a day.
• Remember to inhale through the same nostril from which you just exhaled.

The other day while practicing this, I found it much harder to breathe out of the left side of my nose. I massaged the bridge of my nose where there were tender points and then continued the alternate breathing. The next time I practiced later in the day, I found my breathing much more balanced.

Being aware of how you breathe as you respond to stress may help you in making this breathing exercise a regular part of your health routine.

Karen Wright, B.S.
Pathway to Healthy Living
www.GrandparentingBlog.com
www.RaisingYourGrandchildren.com