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While war and poor economic conditions begin to affect people all
over the world, more and more people suffer with depression. The more we
focus on news events and the business climate, the more we are
depressed. Whatever the reason you feel is the cause of your depression,
the following five simple tips guarantee you reduce it significantly.
1. Do not read newspapers.
Newspapers publish negative stories most of the time. Even in peaceful
periods, newspapers will find the worst in humanity and place negative
stories on display in order to promote sales and subscribers. Stories
focused on War, rebellion, death, destruction, doom and despair abound
in the newspapers.
Stop reading the newspaper and reduce the negative input to your brain.
2. Turn off your television.
Watching and listening about the horrible economy and the losses
associated with War will add to depression. In fact, you guarantee the
feeling of helplessness. Helplessness allows depression to nurture. If
you really need to watch or listen to these kinds of news stories,
promise yourself you will bury yourself in the documentaries that are
sure to follow in the next 5 or 10 years. A way you can eliminate most
of the negative input to your brain is by setting it aside for a date
somewhere in the future. I guarantee in the future, you will not find it
very interesting.
When visitors come to your home, make sure you turn off your television
and keep it off. News television broadcasters are fighting for your
guests' attention as they promote despair, war, death, and destruction
with many headline news interruptions. Those little banners that run
across the bottom of the screen grab your attention and they take hold
of your consciousness. Television will diminish your positive spirit.
3. Say good things about others
My mother always says, "if you can't say anything nice about others,
don't say anything at all." However, when you find yourself in a
conversation and a relative says, "Remember Uncle Phil?" " He was an
alcoholic"; respond with " Yes, Uncle Phil was an alcoholic and he was
the most charitable person, I have ever met."
Connect your relative's negative statement about Phil with a positive
one. Set yourself up to find the positive in anyone's statement and you
will keep negative thoughts and depression from overtaking your life.
4. Get physical exercise
Adults forget about exercise when suffering from depression. Make sure
you are exercising daily and sending more oxygen to your brain cells.
The result of exercise will improve your health as well as your
attitude.
5. Breathe deep and relax.
Breathe deeply and relax. For 3 minutes each hour take a short mental
vacation.
Practice the following breathing exercise to relax your body and mind.
You can engage in this exercise while you are standing in the checkout
line at the supermarket or when listening to others talking on a
telephone. You can complete the exercise at home or at work.
Take three deep breathes and relax. As you inhale, concentrate on calm
and peaceful thoughts. You may think about relaxing by a mountain, by
the ocean or comfortably in your favorite room at home.
As you exhale, concentrate on pushing any tension out of your lungs.
Focus on positive images in your life. Focus on laughter, love,
excitement, and hope.
Keep breathing in and out in this pattern until you feel better. If you
practice the exercise often, you will notice wonderful changes in your
outlook and in other aspects of your life.
Let yourself feel great now!
Enjoy your family, your friends, and your life.
--Wayne F. Perkins
Copyright 2003 Wayne Perkins
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