worksheetsbuddy_do87uk

How To Help Someone Who is Depressed

One can help by boosting a depressed person’s morale and by lifting their spirits to fight back!

As far back as most can recall, man’s existence has been a roller coaster ride. The one who enjoys the good phases of life has either already experienced the storm, emerging as a stronger personality, or will go through some low phases later in life. In this beautiful journey, life keeps teaching us in its own style. Also, some fight through troublesome phases, while others get emotionally shattered due to some harsh realities and often go into depression.

Symptoms Of Depression

A depressed person will prefer staying isolated both socially and personally. And it will be easy to judge one, based on their level of interaction and reaction to things. However, a person socializing well and laughing for everything, cannot be exempted, as some of them are simply good at hiding their emotions in the initial stage. Thus, you need to be attentive to people around and the pain will speak their signs.

What Makes One Susceptible To Depression?

It could be almost anything. Maybe something bad happened earlier and this leaves a strong impression in one’s heart, so much so, that the person doesn’t even know when it turns into depression!

A person gets depressed when the current reality is out of sync with what was expected from life. Thus, every thought is a battle and every single breath is a war, when one thinks they are not winning anymore. Thus, depression curtails self-esteem inexplicably. It also curtains vision and makes one feel helpless, at times.

How Can You Help?

We all experience terrible events at some point in our lives and thus, surely understand how ¡t feels to be emotionally drained, It takes a heart to understand another person’s problems and to be with them, as strongly as we would want someone to stand for us. Fortunately, there are numerous ways by which one can lend a helping hand to support individuals overcome this difficult phase. Here are some guidelines.

Boost The Person’s Morale
Depression is a state whereby a person believes, ‘I am not living, but surviving’ – it is an overwhelming sense of numbness and desire for anything to help pass, one day into another. One can help by boosting a depressed person’s morale and by lifting their spirits to fight back and by not allowing the suffering to take over.

Become Their Support System
When a person says, l am okay’ he/she often expects someone to look into his/her eyes and say, ‘I know you’re not.’ Our haves are a constant battle between wanting to be alone, but definitely not lonely. Compassionate gestures like a small talk and strong support will make unhappy souls feel protected and also motivate them to overcome a rough phase.

Be A Listener:
Sometimes, a person doesn’t need a brilliant mind that sparks ideas to overcome hurdles. They just need a humble heart that listens. In certain cases, we all exhibit similar traits and in despair almost all of us need a careful listener. So be that ear to the soul that is weeping and help him/her get out of the mourning phase. It feels good to have someone trust you enough. So be that personi

Allow Them Their Space:
Dejected people often shut themselves out completely and you may find them staring at the wall not concerned about who says what. Because at that moment, they just don’t exist! So if you want to help, you will need to understand what they want at the moment and give them their space and time to heal themselves.

Compassionate gestures like a small talk and strong support will make unhappy souls feel protected and also motivate them to overcome a rough phase

Motivate Them To Write In A Diary:
Dispirited people are desolated enough to express their feelings and verbalising their distress is the best remedy for a grieving person. Hence, psychologists suggest writing in a diary to eliminate negative thoughts. People do not always want to share things with others and writing down those feelings might just help them vent it all out! Often, written words helps one realise their mistakes or where steps could have been taken, for putting things right.

Take The Support Of Counselling Sessions:
A huge crowd of known people are of no comfort if there is no one to rely upon to speak your heart out. Thus, counsellors are those professional listeners who don’t judge, but guide an individual with the best possible advice.

Discover And Unleash Your Strengths!

When we do something that we enjoy and we are good at it, we naturally feel energised and true to ourselves. We also feel more resilient

Welcome to the second edition of the resilience series. Combining some of the best insights in psychology with practical techniques that you can integrate into your life instantly, discover some new ideas in facing life’s challenges with a renewed energy and motivation. This month’s focus on unleashing your strengths has been proven by psychologists globally, to be positively linked to growing your resilience. Thus, individuals and teams should be often challenged to use their strengths more. After all, your greatest potential lies in what you do best!

From Functioning To Flourishing

Understanding yourself is the first port of call for you to become more resilient. Reminding yourself about your strengths and achievements is a great step to take initially.

When we do something that we enjoy and we are good at it, we naturally feel energised and true to ourselves. We also feel more resilient. Yet, we are at times so obsessed about rectifying our weaknesses or focusing on other people’s shortcomings, that we lose sight of what makes us and them, unique.

Leading psychologists have identified that individuals have more scope for growth when their energy is invested in developing the strengths they possess, rather than correcting their perceived deficiencies. However, this does not mean you forget about your shortcomings but that you should consider changing the balance of where you focus your energies if you want to enhance your successes and well-being in life.

Focusing on your strengths in the right way can even help you correct some of your areas of development. According to a global strengths organization that has surveyed more than 10 million people worldwide, those who get a chance to focus on their strengths regularly, are six times more likely to be busy involved in their jobs and are more than three times likely to report having a fairy good quality of life.

Change For The Better

Focusing on one’s strengths has been linked to many positive character developments, including the ability to build the ‘resilience muscle,’ become more positive, confident and able to develop better relationships. An individual also feels more empowered to reframe and redefine a challenge, focusing more on solutions. Similarly, if you want to stop an unhealthy habit and replace it with a new one, you are much more likely to stick with your chosen new habit if you are enjoying it. So start today!

Begin Your Journey Of Self-Discovery

There are many ways by which you can understand your strengths better and also learn how to use them more effectively, no matter what your lifestyle or life stage is.

So if you are motivated to learn how to use your strengths better, or want to become more resilient to boost your confidence to achieve your goals and to ultimately become happier – just bear in mind that you to do it in different ways.

You can do it as part of a coaching process with a qualified strengths practitioner, or you can simply discuss your strengths with people you trust at work and at home. You can also get online and undertake a strengths assessment yourself. One that is strongly recommended and free as well, is www.viacharacter.org where you can also create a personalized strength report.

Positive Actions

Decide how you are going to get better at understanding your strengths more. Identify your top three ‘signature strengths.’ Try to use these strengths more often during the following seven days and notice how this makes you feel.

Discuss your strengths with someone at home and/or at work. Seek feedback from them on what strengths they see in you. What are the differences and similarities in feedback? How can you take any new insights forward with positive intent?

Try something new – use one of your top three strengths in a way that you have never done before. For instance, how can you apply these strengths to a current challenge or goal ahead? We are all unique.

We are all different. Be open-minded to make positive changes. Make commitments to yourself and others on what goals you want to achieve. No matter what these may be, remember that your greatest potential lies within what you do best!

Tips to Boost Mental Health

Mental health is a matter of great importance and the status of mental health is directly related to your everyday routine and vice versa. Your interactions at the professional, social and personal level are supremely influenced by your thoughts, emotions, and behavior.

Also, thoughts accumulated over a period of time and newer thoughts at times, also find structure in your reactions and conduct. These thoughts influence your conscious wakeful state and at times also your subconscious and sleep state. Thus, maintaining consistent and positive mental health requires varied personal initiatives and understanding.

Levels of Mental Imbalances

Let’s just think of mental imbalances in a simpler way. There can be a few basic levels at which mental illness can be experienced. The first level can be our day-to-day struggle for sustenance and survival. These experiences may not be categorized as illness at level one, since measures are incorporated to handle the situation. But if conflicts persist beyond our coping capacity, it can move on to level two.

The second stage requires handling by a professional, with an interactive remediation process. It is a very simple straight line between the normal ‘x’ on one end and not-so-normal ‘y’ on the other end. The movement of a person from x to y can be individualistic or a collective process and happens over a period of time.

The very basic process of valuing ourselves and extending our good will to the society around us, helps ¡n restructuring our status of mind. Setting up realistic goals, working on our strengths and realizing our capacities are the foundation to uphold credibility.

Activities For Mental Wellness

• Activities like cooking and painting help us to express our emotions ¡n a creative way
• We can also find solace in dancing, singing speaking, etc.
• Music and art are therapeutic in nature
• A good night’s sleep can do wonders for our body and mind
• A change in a monotonous lifestyle, with the help of planned getaways, can yield immense benefits for a healthy mind
• Further, actively maintaining social communication and developing achievable purpose, provides meaning to life

How Aroma Acts As A Therapy

In some cases, selective perfumes work as a subtle supporter when one feels depressed. Thus, aromatherapy is a science that has proved to be extremely helpful in handling certain disorders in human beings. Vedic Vastu also works on a parallel doctrine that advocates the energy vibrations of a concrete building structure which can be easily handled with the help of aroma.

When aromatherapy works for the welfare of human beings to tackle various physical and psychological disorders, the same therapy has strength to alter the vibrations inside a house. This action ¡s so slow in its nature that one cannot observe a drastic change instantly, but it has the capacity to bring about long-term changes in the vibrations of a place.

Have you ever realised why dhoop or agarbathi (incense sticks) are used in prayer in almost all religions worldwide? Have you ever thought what invisible changes may come about in our disposition when we wear a perfume? Also, we may be fascinated with a particular perfume for few days, weeks or months, but suddenly this same aroma may start irritating us. The answer lies in the strong impact of aromas on our mood, behaviour and of course on confidence.

Aroma has multiple roles to play in our life. According to Vedic Vastu, a humans physiology and building biology ¡s interrelated. When we talk about Vastu, an intelligent implementation of using aromas is an old and useful method to tackle various Vastu flaws in the home. Curing Vastu defects with aroma is an easy method through which the energies may be controlled, directed, boosted or diverted easily. But the effect of aromas on people may be spiritual, pleasing, romantic, artistic, lethargic, enthusiastic or irritating.

How To Enhance Positive Energy

Few essential oils and fragrances like sandalwood and cedarwood are very useful in providing subtle support, when one is worried due to unknown reasons. They have calming effects and help in reducing anxiety. Hence, it’s vital to choose the right perfume to tackle a mood disorder. Also, never use a scent that you dislike even a bit, or which you find irritating. Further, remember that a particular aroma may seem to be pleasant for one person, but irksome for others.

The aroma of jasmine helps in the free flow of energy vibes and decongests the interiors, It adds up to dissipate suffocated vibrations and may also bring one out, from temporary depressio, as it is very useful in elevating the mood.

Rose is useful in cleansing stagnated energy. Use few rose flowers near the entrance area, or spray some rose room fresheners in the foyer. It will brighten your mood and also the mood of others entering the area.

The Positive Vibes From Plants And Flowers

Grow beautiful flowers and plants in your neighbourhood as, during the winters, they do not need any special care. You may also boost your energy with marigold flowers, as it is used in preparing few Ayurvedic medicines. Marigold flowers enhances positive vibes and acts as a strong natural insect repellent. That is why since time immemorial, guests, leaders, religious gurus and other important persons are offered garlands made of marigold flowers, It also works as a shield and protects against harmful insects, mosquitoes or bacteria. Though its smell may not be appealing to everyone, it may also protect your home against nematodes. It is also good to grow refreshing peppermint and coriander plants in the kitchen garden or on balconies.

Avoid Negative Smells And Clean Dirty Areas

Always beware of negative smells. Keep the washroom door shut and keep the toilet seat always covered with the lid. Keep an eye on objects which may feel to be negative like chemicals, artificial repellents, medicines and rotten eatables. Also, try to keep the kitchen area clean and rinse the used utensils before closing the kitchen.

Use lemon and similar natural cleansing agents while mopping the floor. Stay away from the toxic smell arising due to burning of chemicals, plastic, fibres, foams etc. Do not use artificial or synthetic insect repellents. Keeping the interiors clean certainly helps remove the blockages of energy. Hence, nurture a habit to clean grime and frequently de-clutter the unattended or ignored dark areas of your home.

Addressing The Facts About Male Infertility

Infertility, as we know is the inability of a couple to have a child, despite having unprotected sexual intercourse for more than one year. Of the many causes leading to infertility, malefactors are responsible in about one-third of the cases, female factors in one-third and both, male and female factors, or unknown reasons comprise of what’s left.

Male infertility can be the result of either insufficient or absent production of sperms, which are microscopic cells secreted in the semen, leading to the fertilization of the female ovum (egg), resulting in a pregnancy.

Causes Of Male Infertility

Insufficient or absence of the production of sperms occurs due to an interruption of the normal processes of production in the testes.

Sperm production requires temperatures of around two degrees below the normal body temperature, which is why nature designed a sac to hold the testis away from the warmer parts of the body.

A constant increase in temperature around the scrotum (which is the sac containing the testes) is known to decrease sperm production.

Hormonal abnormalities are also known to decrease sperm production. These can occur due to abnormalities in the thyroid, the pituitary (a small gland in the brain), or can result from local defects in the testes, which is unable to recognize the hormones and thus, do not produce sperms.

Fortunately, most of these conditions can be treated with ‘exogenous’ hormones which mean hormones are administered to the affected patients, which in turn enhances the chances of sperm production.

Genetic diseases meaning the patient has been born with defects in hormonal production or action are more difficult to treat – an obvious reason for which causes are not known until it is too late. Sperm production starts in the testes around puberty (11-15 years) and most males do not marry until their 20’s – by then the defects’ set in and it is almost impossible to reverse the errors.

Any disruption to the testis can also adversely affect sperm production. An example of this is a massive injury to the testes, such as with a football, or cricket ball, resulting in swelling and internal bleeding, or mumps in a teenager, which can involve the testes.

After sperm production, comes the need to transport the sperms to an organ from where they can be delivered to the female vagina. A collection of multiple tubes, namely the epididymis, vas deferens, ejaculatory ducts, and seminal vesicles, all of which are paired, transport and prepare the sperm for their eventual function – fertilizing the egg (ovum). A disruption at any level of this pathway can result in absent sperm in the semen and though the male will still have semen, the semen will have no sperm.

It must be noted that both the pathways should be disrupted at the same time, for infertility to occur – so even one functioning testis with an intact pathway, is enough to make a male fertile.

In most cases, the interruption of the pathway is not a certificate of disaster – there are methods to bypass the need for the pathway, such as directly extracting the sperms from the testes – a method known as ‘Testicular Sperm Aspiration.’ In this method, the sperms are extracted from the testes, then bathed in a fluid which prepares them for fertilizing the egg, and then directly implanted into the egg which has to be extracted from the female, a process known as ‘In Vitro Fertilization,’ or IVF.

There are also surgeries available for connecting the disrupted tubes, if both ends are patent and functioning. The success rates of these surgeries in the hands of experts are over 80 per cent.

From injectable hormones to orally taken tablets, to simple lifestyle changes, there is treatment for almost every cause of male infertility, except the rare congenital causes.

Roadblocks

There are some patients, who despite having functioning testes, with functioning pathways, are unable to father children. This is often the result of two major problems – either an inability to ‘ejaculate’ sperm-containing semen at all, or an inability to ‘ejaculate’ sperm-containing semen within the vagina of the female.

An inability to ejaculate called ‘anejaculation,’ is treatable, through the ‘artificial ejaculation’ or electro-ejaculation’ which is done by applying a small electric current to the prostate, resulting in ejaculation which is then collected and deposited into the vagina of the female.

Premature ejaculation is ejaculation which occurs within one minute of the erect penis entering the vagina, or outside the vagina preventing proper insemination. Behavioural therapy and medication has been found useful to treat this condition.