Tag: healing

Depression and Pain. Fighting Back

Published on by gamechangerjoLeave a comment

Depression and pain

Are you aware of the connection between physical pain and depression? It’s important to understand the link, and how it affects your body and mind. This can help you with treatment and therapy. Let’s closely examine the depression and pain dilemma.

  1. Understand the depression and physical pain cycle. Health experts believe  depression and pain appear to share a cycle, which makes it difficult to see where one issue starts and ends. There is overlap between depression and pain.
  • As your depression gets worse or better, physical pain may get worse or better in sync. The two are interlinked in a complex way that makes it harder to treat. Pain can also make depression more difficult. If you’re not able to work, or do the activities you enjoy because of pain, it can lead to feelings of isolation, and increased feelings of worthlessness.
  1. Consider inflammation. Recent research points to the role of inflammation in both depression and pain. The higher the level, the more likely it will make depression worse, and pain levels can increase.

Fighting Back Against Depression and Pain

Using these strategies may alleviate your symptoms:

  1. Seek help for your depression. You may benefit from therapy or medications, specifically designed to manage depression. 
  1. Get help for your physical pain. You may have to make multiple doctors’ appointments to get to the root cause of the pain. But you want to ensure that whatever is causing your pain, is also being treated.
  1. Stay active. It’s easy to allow depression and pain to take over your world and hide. However, it’s crucial that you exercise and stay involved. 
  1. Lean on your support network. Whether it’s your friends, family, or coworkers, you need people in your life who understand you, and can help during a time of need. 
  1. Find something that you love. Experts point out that pursuing a hobby, or activity that you enjoy, can help bring you out of the cycle of depression and pain.  
  • Find something that brings you joy on a daily basis. This can range from cooking your favorite meals to dancing at a popular club. Try to find joy in smaller activities such as talking to a friend, reading a book, or writing down your thoughts. The key is to focus on positive activities that uplift, and help you forget the pain. 
  1. Learn to speak positively to yourself. Positive self-talk has been shown to reduce both depression and pain. 
  • Many athletes talk through the pain to finish a competition. You can use this technique to help manage your pain and depression. It’s important to focus on positive aspects of your life and personality. Avoid berating yourself over mistakes. Shift your focus away from negative ideas, habits, or suggestions. The more you practice positive self-talk, the better you get at it, and the greater influence you’ll have on your results.

Depression and physical pain are linked together. It’s not easy to see where one starts and the other ends. Nevertheless, you can take action to alleviate both. Try these techniques to make a positive difference in your life. As always, consult your medical and mental health provider to discuss your unique circumstances.


To Your Success,
Juan

Anxiety and Fear are Cousins

Published on by gamechangerjo2 Comments

Welcome Back,

Pleased to have you. Thanks for stopping by!

Do you feel anxious before a medical/dental visit, or starting something new? Full disclosure; I get very anxious years in the Dentist office. I crumble into a million little pieces. I am constantly amazed at how quickly it happens! I start sweating profusely. My bladder starts filling up again, doesn’t matter if I went minutes ago. My body is wound so tightly, I have to force myself to relax. Recently, the Dentist finally suggested I take Valium. My PCP agreed.

Have you gotten the jitters before speaking in front of a large group, or sweaty palms when thinking about the future? These are common reactions, when faced with something that’s scary or unfamiliar, and it doesn’t necessarily mean anything is wrong. However, some people suffer from a more severe form of anxiety, that causes more serious physical symptoms. To better understand if your anxious feelings could be a sign of an anxiety, or panic disorder, let’s do a deep dive:

1. If your heart is racing, and you can’t breathe correctly, this can be a symptom of anxiety that is severe, enough to get professional help.


2. Some people have uncontrollable fears of things like crowded places, driving, or germs that cause complete avoidance of places or situations.


3. The consistent inability to concentrate can be a symptom of anxiety. This must be consistent behavior, not just on those occasions when you lack sleep, brought on by hunger, for instance.


4. Nervous behaviors, such as walking around the same area, over and over again, or twitching your fingers or toes repetitively, can be another indicator.


5. A feeling of doom that something will happen to you, such as an accident, heart attack, or even death, can be symptoms of an anxiety disorder or panic disorder.


6. Numbness in your hands, fingers, toes, and legs or feeling like you can’t stand are  common.


7. If you have trouble swallowing, or unusual dry mouth episodes, these may be indications of anxiety.


8. Fear of people around you, and the desire to be alone, are feelings many anxiety sufferers face.


9. The inability to leave your home, can be a symptom of a severe anxiety or panic disorder.


10. If your normal activities become overwhelming, you could be suffering from anxiety or a panic disorder. More than fifteen years ago, I worked the front desk of an animal clinic. I didn’t know it at the time, but I had a panic attack, later confirmed by EMS personnel. One of the worse experiences of my life. My Doctor surmised, it was related to working and attending school full-time. 

Certain cultures rarely openly acknowledge mental health issues. More than ever, I hope to reach this demographic. Being born and raised in the Caribbean, I can attest to this.  The good news, is that these symptoms and conditions, are no longer considered taboo in mainstream society. The COVID pandemic, has shed a huge light on the burgeoning mental health crisis.

If you suffer from anxiety, please do not do so in silence. Many mental health clinics, and hospitals offer affordable support, if you’re on a lower or fixed income. Your health insurance can help you get treatment, they cannot reveal your diagnosis to your employer. Medications, meditation, and relaxation techniques are also beneficial. Understanding your condition, can help alleviate the stress and fear caused by panic attacks.  Living life in fear of another panic attack will hold you hostage.  Get the treatment that can put you back on the road to peace, health and happiness. You’ll be glad you did!

If you are experiencing a crisis, and need to speak with someone immediately, please contact the National Suicide and Crisis Hotline, at 1800 273 8255.

Here is a FREE Anxiety Self Test worksheet to help you sort things out.

Up next, surprising facts about anxiety.

To Your Success,
Juan

 

Pandemic Within a Pandemic

Published on by gamechangerjo2 Comments

Readers,

February is here already. Yikes! Can we talk about mental health for a bit? Almost two years into the pandemic, we know someone who either contracted the disease, or died from it. Another troubling trend, is the urgent need for mental health support. Millions are now coping with increased anxiety, depression, panic attacks, PTSD, insomnia, stress eating, loneliness, paranoia..etc. I believe we are in the middle of a pandemic within a pandemic. Sadly, some saw no way out, and took their own lives. The past two years have been TOUGH. 

A few days ago here in NYC, media outlets broke news which quickly spread; Miss USA 2019, Chelsie Krist jumped to her death. She made history, part of a trio of black beauty pageant winners, who for the first time, held the titles of Ms USA, Teen USA, and America. Just about every comment echoed the same sentiments “ No one saw this coming. She looked like she had it all. A Lawyer who fought for reform, mental health advocate, and successful television personality, heartbreaking”.

The thing is, we need to stop judging others on appearances. That strong friend who never complains, constantly smiling, appears happy is most likely the one silently asking us to check in on them. My blog’s content calendar was planned before this tragic news broke. You can expect the next few months to be all things mental health. 

Most of my clients are anxious about the future. Best laid plans have been shattered. I have bouts of anxiety too. To help them, I’ve had to quickly shift and pivot. I cannot pour from an empty cup. What issue in your life has been amplified because of COVID? I can only imagine your list has gotten longer. We may not know each other personally, but I understand where we are. Over the next few months, when you visit this page, you can expect to find mental health related posts, hoping to be a source of light as we work our way through uncertainty. 

A bit about my background. I have spent the past 5+ years working with the homeless and formerly homeless, on the grimy streets of NYC. My clients struggle with persistent mental health disorders, some have a history of suicide attempts, drug addictions, in patient psychiatric hospitalizations, etc. The job is not easy. In 2011, I graduated from the University of Essex UK, with an MSc in Psychology. Barry University in Florida, provided the background with a BSc in the same field.

I am also a Reiki Master. I continue to  actively seek out other mental health related certifications. When I lived in Miami, I worked in the medical field for about six years. I won’t always get things right. The upcoming posts  are not meant to treat or diagnose from behind a computer screen, simply to share my knowledge, experience, and guidance.  Always follow the advice of your medical and mental health providers.

We will begin with anxiety. Hope to see you soon.

To Your Success,
Juan