You know those days when you just don't know what to do anymore? Those days when you feel like everything is just falling apart? We all have them. Some days you just need a break from reality, but that okay. It can be hard sometimes, but what is important is that on those days you remind yourself that there has to be some positive outcome.
It's often hard to go through a negative experience and still remain positive, but it is definitely possible. It is all about having the right mindset. Staying optimistic while going through hard time is so much healthier for you than being pessimistic. There are so many health benefits that come from being positive. The first benefit to positive thinking is it helps you cope better with stress. According to verywellmind.com, "when optimists encounter a disappointment (such as not getting a job or promotion) they are more likely to focus on things they can do to resolve the situation." It's better to try and think of ways to resolve your problem than dwelling on what you cannot change. The stress you may be feeling now is only temporary. Another benefit is positive thinkers are supposed to live longer and feel better than pessimists. Our bodies immediately react to every negative emotion we feel. Being depressed can lead to bad sleep problems and tense muscles. But, the faster you get rid of those demeaning thoughts, the healthier you'll be. Positivity is good for the mind, body, and soul. Another good outcome of positive thinking is better concentration. Once you stop dwelling on all the problems, you can start focusing on your priorities and goals. Think about what you can do to make yourself feel better instead of thinking about what makes you upset. A few years ago I was going through some tough times. For a few months I was such a negative person that it was unhealthy. It was almost like I was unable to see all the positive possibilities. Eventually I realized that I needed to take control of my emotions and try and look for the bright side. My mom always told me "after every dark night, there is always a brighter day." After that I finally started to see the goodness in the world around me. I stopped thinking about the things that I cannot change and started working towards my goals. Yes, bad days are absolutely horrible. But remember this- "the pain that you've been feeling is nothing compared to the joy that's coming."-Romans 8:18
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Depression is a mental illness that has a variety of aspects to it, whether it be socially, mentally, physically, and/or emotionally. It is thought by many people that depression is just sadness with different causes, but it actually comes from a chemical imbalance in your brain. As a matter of fact, it is more complex than that. There are billions of chemical reactions that make up the system which is responsible for controlling your moods, perceptions, and the way you view life. Researchers have found lots of new information about the make up of depression in the past years. Some have worked to identify certain types of genes that make people more susceptible to low moods and affect how they react to drug therapy- antidepressants. But the interesting thing is, it all leads back to the brain. The brain itself is made up of seven areas: the prefrontal cortex, right hemisphere, thalamus, left hemisphere, hippocampus, amygdala, and the basil ganglia. The one's that play a significant role in depression are the amygdala, thalamus, and hippocampus. Each region regulates some type of mood that is affected by depression. Shown above is a diagram of the different regions of the brain from Harvard Medical School
The first region affected is the amygdala. It is associated with emotions such as anger, pleasure, sorrow, and fear. It is often triggered when someone thinks about a highly emotional memory, such as something that scared them. For example, a flashback to a frightening event like a car accident can set off the amygdala. The next region affected is the thalamus. It is responsible for receiving most sensory information and passing it on to the appropriate part of the cerebral cortex. The cerebral cortex is what directs functions such as speech, behavioral reactions, movement, thinking, and learning. The last region of the brain that is affected by depression is the hippocampus. It is responsible for storing long term memory and reacting to fear. Something interesting about it is that it is smaller in some depressed people. There are also chemicals released in the brain called neurotransmitters that are believed to play different roles in depression. Neurotransmitters are essentially chemical messengers. The main ones that play roles in depression are known as Acetylcholine, Serotonin, Norepinephrine, and Dopamine. Acetylcholine is what enhances your memory and is involved in memory recall. Serotonin is what helps regulate your sleep, appetite, and mood. It also is used to inhibit pain. Norepinephrine constricts the blood vessels leading to a raise in blood pressure, It often triggers anxiety and is related to depression. Lastly, there is Dopamine. Dopamine is necessary for movement and influencing motivation. How does it relate to depression? Well, it is responsible for how an individual perceives reality. So is depression really all about sadness? The answer is no. Yes, sadness is one of the many symptoms of depression, but it is not the actual cause. Mental illness is comes in a variety of forms. There are more than 200 different types of mental illnesses that exist and more 60 million Americans are diagnosed with at least one every year. A mental illness is defined as " a disease of the brain that causes mild to severe disturbances in thought and/or behavior, resulting in an inability to cope with life’s ordinary demands and routines"(Mental Health Association). Two particularly common mental illnesses that affect the most people are anxiety disorders and depression.
Different anxiety disorders have their own special symptoms, although they do all share one: persistent, excessive fear or worry in non threatening situations. According to NIMH, some of the emotional symptoms that come with anxiety disorders are: feelings of apprehension or dread, feeling of emptiness, and instability. Some physical symptoms are the pounding/ racing of your heart beat, sweating, twitches, headache,fatigue, insomnia. stomachache, etc. Some different forms of anxiety are Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, and phobias. When I was 13, I was diagnosed with severe Generalized Anxiety Disorder. To this current day, I still live with these symptoms and in all honesty, it's a challenge. Another commonly diagnosed mental illness among Americans is depression. To some people depression is simply just being sad, or going through a rough patch in life. However those people are wrong. It is a very serious mental illness that should never be taken lightly. There is no distinct cause of depression, but there are factors that lead to it in certain people. Sometimes it could be the experience of trauma or unfair life circumstances. It could just be genetics, I know that depression runs in my family. Each person is unique, so their symptoms will be unique as well. Some noticeable symptoms of depression are: changes in sleep patterns, changes/loss in appetite, lack of concentration, minimal energy, minimal interest in activities you "love", hopelessness or guilty thoughts, and suicidal thoughts. Some people will only show one symptom, two symptoms, and/or all of them. I think that it is agreeable that anxiety and depression are both equal in significance. However, I do not believe that everyone understands the truth about living with a mental illness. It is NOT a glamorous life by any means. What do you do when your anxiety consumes you just because you cannot finish all your homework? What do you do when you are so consumed in your depression you refuse to get out of bed in the morning? What do you do when professional help, doesn't help you? 1/23/2018 0 Comments The Importance of Mental HealthMental health is something that is often overlooked and unnoticed. In today's society mental illness gets pushed to the side, but people do not always realize this has consequences. Maintaining a good mental state has multiple benefits that result in better lifestyles. One benefit of maintaining a good mental health is better physical health. Your mind and body are linked closely together so they work hand in hand. Untreated mental health disorders often result in physical health impairments such as sleep disturbances. Bad physical health can also lead to mental health issues too. If someone is physically in pain and cannot do the activities they love, then that person may get stressed and depressed because they are being deprived of something that makes them happy. According to a study performed in 2012 in Health Services Research people who have physical health problems are three times more likely to reach out for mental care than those without. Another reason why it is important maintain good mental health is it will result in a happier you. Keeping a positive mindset can make all of the difference. Not only will you be happier, but the people around you will too. It is important to spread the positivity and smiles. Positive thinking can help lower rates of depression and levels of distress. Adjusting to an optimistic mindset will help improve your coping skills during stressful times according to Mayo Clinic. Another benefit that comes from having good mental health is a longer life expectancy. and that definitely makes sense. I mean would you rather live a short, anxiety filled life? Or a long life filled with fun and smiles? I know I would rather live a long, happy life. A study done in the British Medical Journal shows that people with even the slightest mental health problems may have a lower life expectancy. Here are just a few facts about how mental illness can reflect ones life expectancy. There are approximately 884,000 deaths from suicide each year. 1 in 4 Americans will suffer from a mental health disorder in a given year. The average life expectancy reduction for people who have bipolar disorder is 9-20 years. For people with Schizophrenia the average life expectancy reduction is 10-20 years. As for those who have recurrent depression, their average life span reduction is 7-11 years. Overall mental health is something that needs to be taken seriously in all cases. There are so many more benefits to being happy rather than being mentally ill. I encourage everybody to take mental health seriously and to not push it aside.
12/7/2017 1 Comment The Holiday CheerI don't know about you guys, but Christmas is my all-time favorite holiday. Winter is the season of holiday cheer and spreading joy. It is always the happiest time of the year for me because of multiple factors. Every year I look forward to family Christmas for the quality time and the countless laughs and memories. As I've grown up over the years my family and I have developed lots and lots of fun filled traditions that fill my heart with joy. One is every year we have what we call the Verheyen family Christmas where everybody from my dads side of the family gathers at my aunts house for dinner and festivities. It is the one time of year where all of my family gets to reunite and bond since we all live in different places. Every single year at our family Christmas party we play a game of spoons, a very competitive one I might add. I remember one year I beat my cousin Cara so she threw me across the table. Whoever wins the competition gets to take home a trophy made out of spoons. Another family tradition we have is the cliche white elephant gift exchange, and let me tell you, it takes a LONG time. My dad has 7 sisters and 2 brothers along with all of their kids and their kids too. It is always so amusing to see who ends up with what gift. I remember one year I received a box of chocolates, but one of my cousins then traded me for a Dora toothbrush. It's always the little things that make me laugh until I cry. My favorite part about our major family Christmas gathering is getting to see my cousin Brenna, who I only get to see once a year if not every 2 years. She is like my younger sister and she can immediately make me go from sad to happy with her sense of humor. She accompanies me in spreading the holiday cheer and laughter. Getting to see her is the best Christmas gift of all, she is my positivity on Christmas day. Another amazing thing about the holidays that makes me insanely happy is when my older brother Jacob comes home for his winter break. In the past few years him and I have grown close and created an unbreakable bond. Him and I always like to go all out on Christmas in order to make it better every year. We choose to try and stay up all night on Christmas Eve every year and wake my parents up early because we're so excited. The only rule is- you HAVE to wear your pajamas. I could go on for hours listing Christmas traditions, but I'm going to stop here. Overall the holidays are my favorite time of year because of the traditions and the joy. It is the best time to spread positivity and Christmas cookies all around.
11/5/2017 0 Comments the brighter side of thingsBeing positive can be a challenge sometimes, it doesn’t always come easily. Life will throw obstacles at you left and right. When a tragic event happens, it’s not always easy to keep a positive mindset. But in the end, looking on the bright side will help you tremendously.
In March of this year I was doing great, better than I had ever been in fact. I thought that nothing could bring me down… well, almost nothing. On April 14th, 2017 my positive mindset was challenged more than it had ever been. It started out as a great day that I was looking forward to. I had a college visit to Northern Illinois University that morning and one of my best friend’s birthday party later that evening. I was happy and everything seemed wonderful, but I did not know that my life would change on my way home. Around 10:00 that night I was driving home. I decided to take a different way home though. I had driven down this road multiple times, day and night. It was nothing new to me, but as I was going downhill my car decided that it didn’t like that road. My steering wheel locked up a little past halfway down the hill and I couldn’t hit the brakes hard enough. CRASH! All of a sudden I slammed into a guardrail, next thing I know my car was flipping across the road until it finally came to a halt! I was awake the whole time and in shock. I just kept thinking “did this actually just happen?” When I finally found my phone I called my mom immediately. I was hysterical. People who lived nearby called 911 and came to try and help me while I waited for my parents to arrive at the scene. About 5 minutes later my family showed up along with an ambulance, a fire truck and 2 police cars. Everybody was trying to calm me down and after a little bit I was finally feeling better. The ambulance rushed me to the hospital but oddly enough I was cracking jokes the whole way there. When we arrived at the hospital I was told that everything was going to be alright- I just needed to remember that I was lucky to be alive. I came home the next day and for whatever reason I was still positive. I think it was because all the trauma hadn’t set in yet but who knows. But a few days later was when all the negative thoughts hit me. I kept telling myself that I shouldn’t have left my house that night or that I should’ve taken a different way home. I felt horrible because of all the medical bills my family had to pay, and physically I felt even worse. I was sore in every way, I couldn’t even sneeze without it hurting. However, I did not let those negative thoughts consume me. I bounced back quickly. I realized that I had so much more to be thankful for. I was thankful that I was alive and not seriously injured. I was thankful that I was the only one in the accident because I would’ve never been able to forgive myself if I hurt someone else. Most of all I was thankful for my phenomenal friends and family who supported me and stuck by my side through it all. I learned that being negative was getting me nowhere. I had two options- lay around and mope or get back on feet and enjoy my life. One month went by and I was already driving again and I even got a new car. I truly believe that my positivity is what got me through this. "a warm smile is the universal language of kindness" -William Arthur Ward. That is a quote I heard a long time ago, but it never leaves my mind. To me a warm smile is not only a symbol of kindness, but a symbol of happiness. In a way, spreading kindness and happiness is just like spreading positivity. To me spreading positive vibes is super important and can make a big impact on society.
Spreading positivity around became important to me around the beginning of my sophomore year... but there are reasons why it became so important to me around that time. Around the beginning of sophomore year a lot of things started to change for me. I was constantly depressed and let my positive mindset start to slip away, but I did not let the negativity consume me. One day a few weeks into sophomore year I was extra sad and people seemed to notice. That day a random girl saw that I was sad and so she looked me in the eyes and just gave me a warm smile. She told me that everything was going to be okay and then she walked away. That single smile made my day and made me realize that everything is really going to be okay. but then I realized that if her smile made me feel better, then maybe mine will make others feel better too. From that day on I started to do what she did to me and I realized that simple acts of kindness like that can spread positivity. As time went on I regained my positive mindset and realized the importance of being positive. The little things that spread positivity make the biggest difference. Simply giving someone a hug can increase their happiness if they're sad. According to Power of Positivity, telling someone why you love them and appreciate them can immediately spread positivity and remind them of their self worth. Overall it's always the little things that spread positivity. It is so important to me because I believe that everyone deserves to be happy no matter what. No one deserves sadness in their life, no matter who they are. |
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