Understanding Mood Swings

June 23rd, 2009 | No Comments | Posted in Family Health

You feel happy and upbeat now. In a short while, you are suddenly sad and depressed. Is this something to be worried about? Mood swings are normal occurrences. But how do you know which mood swings are out of the ordinary already?

It is common for ones mood to change very often in a day. This simply is what mood change is. From happy to sad, angry to calm, anxious to relaxed - all happening one after the other.  This is not out of the ordinary. It is a common occurrence.

You may not even be aware that you are experiencing mood swings. It can be triggered by almost anything - a song in the radio, a TV program, or another person in the room. An experience from the past can set off a completely different state of being all at once. Unless someone calls your attention to it, you may not even know of your mood swings.

The changing of the seasons is a common trigger to moods. This is called seasonal affective disorder. Your mood is affected by the season of the year.  You feel upbeat during the summer months and depressed during fall.

Hormonal change is another cause for mood swings. Watch a pregnant woman closely.  Notice how her mood changes very easily from upbeat to downcast. This is because of the various hormonal changes happening in her system. After giving birth, these mood swings are sure to go away.

Various occurrences in the day-to-day living affect a person’s mood. Death, divorce, loss of a job, stress and pressure at work all lead to a person exhibiting a different behavior. These are completely normal and will pass over time. You do not need to worry about it.

Mood swings, when brought about by underlying circumstances in the environment will die down when these circumstances are over.  When the baby is born or when the season changes signal the end of the mood swings.

These mood swings that we see in our daily lives are normal. When does it become a thing to worry about?  When do you draw the line?  When do you know that what you are experiencing is already out of the ordinary?

Watch out for the following:

  • When mood swings begin to incapacitate you.
  • When you cannot give correct judgment.
  • When you cannot say which is right and which is wrong.
  • When all of a sudden you just cannot stop crying even if you are not pregnant or menopausal.
  • When you cannot leave the house or get out of bed because you do not feel good.

Mood swings is not gender-specific. Both men and women suffer from mood swings. Members of the different sexes have different ways of exhibiting mood swings. Men can show fits of sudden anger. Women cry a lot.

If you suspect a medical problem, the best thing to do is see a doctor. What you are experiencing might not just be the simple mood swings anymore. You might be suffering from some other clinical reason. The doctor will be the best person to diagnose you and offer the needed prescription.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How to Succeed with Your Diet Plan

June 4th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted in Family Health

How do you lose weight and keep it off completely?  This is not very easy to do.  Many people fail at this.  Once you have considered what diet to follow, how can you stick to it?  These tips may prove helpful to you.

  • Dieting involves a great deal of determination.  It involves changing your lifestyle forever.  So choose a diet very carefully.  It should be one you can follow for a long time.  Never choose a diet program that entails starvation and deprivation.  Choose a diet that is more realistic and can be done over the long haul.
  • If you opt for the fad diets, most surely, you will only be too eager until the diet is done and you can go back to the foods you normally have.  When you decide on losing weight, it should be permanent.  Choose a diet plan that you can stick to.
  • It will be good to monitor your food intake on a daily basis.  Note down all the food you take in a day.  In doing this, you can review your food intake and you will know when you are cheating on your diet.
  • In addition to just noting down all the food you take in a day, why not write also how you feel with the food you eat.  Note the pangs of hunger when it arises.  By doing this you can better prepare yourself for the hardships that you will encounter.  Being prepared and knowledgeable of the outcome of dieting, you can psyche yourself better.
  • When finally you have succeeded in losing weight, give yourself a reward.  This is for a job well done.  Rewards make one feel good.  When you know that your efforts will be appreciated, you will be more determined on your goal.
  • The reward should be commensurate with the lost weight.  Or it can be based on the amount of time it took for you to lose the weight you have set to lose.  A word of caution though, the reward should not be a food item.

Who ever said that losing weight will be easy?  Many fail at it.  Problems will always arise as to how to stick to the diet plan.  But if you are determined, disciplined, and really bent on losing weight, after hard work and perseverance, you will surely succeed.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Changing the Way You Feel About Yourself

May 29th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted in Family Health

There is a huge number of people who now suffer om a variety of anxiety disorders. This is largely a result of the growth in the number of stressors we are exposed to each day. However, there are instances when external forces are not the cause of stress; rather, the primary cause is self-image.

While low self-esteem is most common among adolescent girls, this problem is something that is not limited to these teens. The various stressors inherent in life can make someone easily feel insufficient in one part of their life or another, despite the relative completeness of their lives. Unfortunately, low self-esteem often comes with anxiety.

People who suffer from low self-esteem often seek the approval of other people all the time, which does not always come their way. Without constant affirmation, these individuals become self-destructive, which can further the anxiety they feel.

Improving How You See Yourself

To begin gaining enough self-esteem and pride, change the way you think and see the world. This one is not something that will happen overnight. However, by slowly building your self-esteem daily, you will find that it will be able to strengthen it to the point that you will have eliminated what has been causing your anxiety. Below are some guidelines on how you can begin to improve your esteem.

  • Recognize the reality that no one is truly perfect. If you feel unattractive, stop for a moment to contemplate on how much effort goes into editing and polishing the images that you see on television or on print. These celebrities have armies of stylists whose only job is to ensure that each hair is in place. Some of the images you see are even airbrushed to perfection.
  • Your worth is not measurable by how people see you. In fact, you’ll be surprised at how there are other people out there who try to deal with their own insecurity by putting others down. Those who are indifferent to your plight often are overwhelmed by their own issues that they hardly have any time to mind other people. The business of being happy is something you owe yourself, and not anyone else.
  • List down your traits that you like. There’s no need to short-change yourself or be modest about it; this is a list that’s designed for you to appreciate yourself better. When you’re feeling down, go over this list and look at all the things that make you a great person.
  • Begin seeing yourself in a new light, and consider changing first the things that will cause a visible impact on your life. There are things about ourselves that we don’t like, some of which are within our control, some are not. Focus on things you can change, and work daily to change them. Thinking about the things you cannot change is useless and counterproductive.

The way you see yourself and how you feel has a huge impact of the amount of stress you feel. Once you feel satisfied and content about your life, you will be surprised that you will either be feeling less stressed, or be more capable of the daily stressors that life throws on you. Having a more positive sense of self will help you ensure that you will not succumb to anxiety.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Colon Cleansing, Weight Loss & You!

January 7th, 2009 | No Comments | Posted in Health Research

Many people swear by colon cleansing to feel better, lose weight and stay healthy. It is becoming more and more accepted as a health treatment. Here is some information about colon cleansing and how it can help you lose weight.

The colon’s purpose is to remove waste from the food that we eat. Most people’s diets these days include a lot of processed foods. These foods make it much more difficult for the colon to do its job. Much of the toxins and waste products accumulate in the colon; they petrify and eventually cause health problems. What colon cleansing does is get rid of the leftover waste and toxins from the colon so it can work more efficiently, encouraging the body to process food in a more efficient manner.

Most people notice an immediate weight loss when they start with colon cleansing. This is because colon cleansing is able to flush out most of the waste matter that as accumulated in the colon.  After you have been on a colon cleansing routine for a while, you will continue to lose weight because you will be absorbing more nutrients and less waste will be left in the colon. A colon that is working well helps with weight loss.

Most people don’t think about their digestive system as it relates to weight control; we often associate weight control with exercise and diet.  A typical diet where you eat less and exercise more doesn’t take into consideration that your metabolism will usually decrease to make up the difference. Treating your digestive system so it is at its healthiest is a good way to lose weight.

One of the benefits of colon cleansing is increased stamina and energy. If you want to work on shedding off those unwanted pounds, you can take that extra energy and turn it into exercise. You will wake up feeling better every day and have a better outlook on life when you are not feeling tired and sluggish. Also, some of the added energy comes from your body being able to get more nutrients out of the food you eat.

Colon cleansing is a great tool for improving your health and even losing weight. It is just one tool in the toolbox, though! You need to have a well balanced diet and exercise in order to feel your best. You also need to make sure you cut back on processed foods and eat more fresh vegetables and fruits.

Like any medical treatment, you need to do some research about colon cleansing and make sure you know what you are doing and that you use a safe product or program. Also, talk to your doctor about your plans and get his or her advice.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,