motd Saturday July 14, 2012 - Depression

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FEELING BLUE?

Saturday, 14 July 2012

Blue. It's such a happy color. But I wonder how

it became associated with sadness? Lots of people

feel blue...a lot. So, are you

one of them? Depression is a part of human nature,

every bit as much as happiness is. All of us have

those times when we really feel blue. Thing is, we

sometimes have to work harder at keeping ourselves in

a good mood.

How do you handle...the

blues?

We may be thinking about someone we miss in

our lives who's no longer here. (For me, it's my

parents.) Something may have happened at work or at

home that pushed you into a bad mood and a depressed

state. Or...your weight may be the

reason you feel so blue all the time. Truth is, the

source of our blues can come from many places. But

the important question is, how do you handle...the

blues?

I saw a diagram in a recent edition of the New York

Times Sunday Magazine. They'd done a story on

depression and received a number of reader responses

relating how they all dealt with depression. I found

their responses interesting. Here are some of the

things those readers said they do to beat the blues.

Taking antidepressant

medications topped

the list of how people handle the blues.

Some said they give

and receive love. I like that one but was a

little surprised to see it got the fewest mentions.

The next most mentioned response was that they took

vitamins to

help them feel more upbeat. (I'll give a hmmmm on that one

and we'll talk about why I do a little

more later.) Talk

therapy was

also mentioned as a cure for the blues. And I've

always said, if you're suffering from long-term

depression, seeking professional help can be a good

idea. Before I get to two of the blues-beating

remedies I liked best, I have to tell you that taking antidepressant

medications topped

the list. Okay, if a person is suffering from severe

depression, I'd say a mood-altering medication, such

as Prozac might be a good remedy. Although I do worry

about a person becoming too

dependant on

medications to make themselves feel better

emotionally.

Now, here're the two things mentioned to help beat

depression that really made me feel good.

Near the top of the list were eating

healthy and exercise. Hooray! Hey, those are

the two things that work bestfor me and you'll

rarely see me feeling blue

about anything.

Now, to those people who take vitamins to improve

their moods, they seem to forget that many of the

vitamins they take come from food

sources, from Mother

Nature. (You may recall, I did a message a few

weeks ago called Mother

Nature, MD.) To all of

those people who use vitamins to help them beat

depression, they should remember that good-old Mother

Nature has the cure for many of the things that ail

us, both physically and

emotionally. That's why it's so important for

you to eat

the right things.

Working out is one of the best ways to boost

and improve your mood.

And then, there was exercise! I've been

telling you for years that working out is one of the

best ways to boost and improve your mood. Doesn't you

feel really good after finishing your workout? You

feel good inside and out plus...your

body continues to work more efficiently burning

calories more than an hour after you workout!

(Boy, it makes me feel good just thinking about that!)

The blues, depression or whatever you want to call it,

like I said before, it comes with the territory of

being human. But aside from pills, psychologists and

taking extra vitamins, I say the most effective way to

lift your mood is to eat right and to get that

body of yours moving with a good

one-hour workout...everyday!

Love,