Can You Change Your Mood?

My Lifelong Battle With Depression

In this particular article I am giving the symptoms of depression, causes of depression and also the various treatments of depression. I am also giving the safe alternative remedy that I use most every day, Brainwave Entrainment. This method, when used on a regular basis, elevates our mood and releives our depression.

How to Recognize the Symptoms of Depression

The following information was adapted from WebMD.

Emotional Symptom

Do you feel sad, have an empty feeling, a feeling of hoplessness or numb almost every day? Do you have a feeling of guilt and feel like you are worthless about minor mistakes you have made in your life or about events you really have no control over? Have you lost interest in the things that you used to enjoy? This could be hobbies, friends, family and sex. Are you irritable and anxious about things? Are you short-tempered with loved ones and just can't relax? Do you have problems making even simple decisions? Do you have thoughts of death and suicide and maybe harming others? If you have this symptom, stop reading this and get to a doctor as soon as posslble.

Physical Symptoms

Do you have headaches? Do you have back pain? If you have had back pain in the past, it may get worse with depression. Do you have muscle aches and joint pains that you didn't have in the past? Do you have chest pains? This can be a physical symptom of depression but it could be a serious heart condition. Does your stomach feel queasy and nauseated? Are you constipated or do you have diarrhea? If you've never had it before, it could be a sign of depression. Do you feel tired all the time? You just don't have the energy to do the things you have in the past. You feel apathetic. Do you have problems sleeping? You either don't sleep well at night or you want to sleep all the time. Have you had a change in appetite and weight? You have either lost your appetite and have lost weight or you eat too much and gain weight. Do you feel dizzy and lightheaded?

Depression is caused by an imbalance of the chemicals in your brain. This imbalance causes a change in your body itself. The messages from the neurons in the brain do not flow as quickly as normal. These symptoms will not go away on their own.

Causes of Depression

Depression can be caused by an imbalance in the neurotransmitters of the brain. These work to send the messages from neuron to neuron along the neural pathways from the brain to various parts of the body. It can certainly be inherited. Many of our family members have suffered from depression. Other serious health conditions such as cancer, heart attacks and thyroid problems can cause depression.  Make sure you have regular check-ups. A pessimistic attitude can very much cause depression. This was me before I started using a certain recording. Stressful events can bring on depression. Medications and substance abuse can cause depression. Many depressed people do not get treatment. They self-medicate on alcohol or other drugs which just makes their depression worse.

Treatments for Depression

Talk therapy which includes Cognitive behavioral therapy, Interpersonal therapy and problem solving therapy with a trained therapist can help you see how unhealthy behaviors, patterns of thinking and dealing with your problems can help a lot. Medication might be a good choice if your depression is very severe and life-threatening.

SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors); I have tried these and so have many members of my family. We could not tolerate the side-effects. Some of the new antidepressants. We have taken one well-known brand which has few side effects or dangers. Others have side-effects and come with a long list of warnings. Tricyclic antidepressants and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) These were some of the first medications for depression. They do work well but cause serious side effects and interact with some drugs and foods.

ECT (Electroconvulsive Therapy) for depression; This is listed as a safe and effective treatment for people whose depression is resistant to medications or other therapy. The doctor will use electric shocks to create a controlled seizure. You will be unconscious and not feel anything. Most people need several weeks of therapy. It causes temporary memory loss. Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) for depression; This is used for people with severe depression who haven't been helped by at least four antidepressants. Alternative treatments for depression; Some of these are herbs and supplements. Also, brainwave entrainment is an alternative treatment that has worked for my husband and me. The herbs can have side effects or intereact with other medications.

How My Husband and I Alleviate Our Depression

To elevate our mood and to enter a blissful, pleasant trance where we enter an Alpha state of mind, we listen to a 30-minute CD. My way to enter a hypnotic trance is to start telling my body to relax, starting with my scalp and ending with my feet. I also tell myself to feel that my feet are not a part of my body. I go on up my body to my neck with this. Then I tell myself to feel that my body is not connected to my head. By this time I am only aware of my head and am in a state of bliss and happiness. This is when I do my affirmations which goes directly to my sub-conscious mind. Things that I have desperately wanted to change became reality when I would do the affirmations while I was in the Alpha state.

I can tell when I have been really busy and haven't taken the time to listen for a few days. I start feeling more depressed and negative but never as much as I was before. Two years of listening to the recordings that change our brainwaves have definitely changed the structure of our brain & stimulated the brain cells to produce more neurotransmitters. If it can help me after a lifetime of dysthymia, which is a chronic low grade to medium grade depression, it will help almost anyone.

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