Staying stress-free

    * Learn to deal with stress - Stress is an inevitable part of our daily life. We can’t avoid it but can definitely learn how to deal with it effectively. This helps us in maintaining our mental health. Tackle mood swings- We all experience mood swings but dealing with feelings of sudden anger, sadness, joy and fear in a constructive way is the key to happiness.

    * Pamper yourself - At times you feel that life is treating you in a very mechanical way. When you feel so, it is best to take an off from work and spend some time with yourself and your loved ones. Go for an outing and indulge in your favourite pastime.

    * Trust your abilities - Identify your abilities and weaknesses together, accept them, build on them and do the best with what you have.

    * Healthy lifestyle choices - To be stress-free, adopt a healthy and positive lifestyle, which includes not smoking, limiting alcohol intake, exercising regularly and following a balanced diet.

    * Health-promoting diet - Cut on oils and spices from your diet and eat fresh fruits, vegetables just for a week and you’ll yourself feel the difference. A healthy diet minus junk food keeps your immunity strong and also makes you feel fresh and energetic.

Save And Share :

Tips to help control anger

# Count to 10 before reacting or leave the situation all together.

# Do some physically exerting activities like a walk, swim, etc,

# Soothe yourself, by practicing deep-breathing exercises, visualizing relaxing scenes, listening to music, yoga or read something of your interest.

# It is very important to express anger as soon as possible. Never be stewed. If you cannot speak to the person who angered you, speak to some trusted person and let your emotions flow.

# Think carefully before you say anything. It is better not say any anything than to say something regretful.

Save And Share :

Depression threatens independence of stroke survivors

Stroke survivors, even if they escape severe mental impairment, are less likely to be independent if they are depressed, older, or have other medical problems.

Post-stroke depression is a common problem. About 795,000 people in the United States have a stroke each year and one-third of survivors develops depression as a result.

 

To see whether depression and other factors affected function and dependence after a stroke, researchers in America analysed data from 367 stroke survivors, average age 62 years, who had no severe language or thinking skill impairments. The study group comprised patients suffering from ischemic stroke that caused by lack of blood supply to the brain, in contrast to haemorrhagic stroke caused by bleeding. Of those patients, 174 were diagnosed with depression one month after their stroke. The patients' levels of independence were rated using a 0 to 5 scale, with 5 being the most severely disabled and dependent. Three months after their stroke, 20 percent of the patients scored 3 or higher, and were considered dependent.

It was found that stroke survivors who were severely depressed, older and had other health problems were more likely to be dependent than those who were younger, free of other health problems or not depressed.

The researchers did not examine whether improvement in depression helped stroke survivors recover their independence after three months.

The study concluded that even if the treatment and improvement of post-stroke depression does not directly influence recovery, it is extremely important for depression to be identified and treated since it is associated with other health and social problems.

Save And Share :

Depressed fathers likely to spank

Depressed fathers are more likely to shortchange their children and use physical punishment, even on tots who are still crawling.

With so much emphasis on maternal postpartum depression, the fact that transition to parenthood is stressful for men also is generally overlooked. Depressive symptoms in dads may affect the way they interact with their child in negative ways.

In order to determine whether depressed fathers are more likely to engage in unhealthy parenting behaviour, researchers evaluated data supplied by 1,746 American fathers of 1-year-olds who participated in the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. This long-running study is following nearly 5,000 children born in large U.S. cities between 1998 and 2000. Fathers, who lived with their children all or most of the time, were asked about four behaviours, both positive and negative. The men were questioned about depression symptoms, spanking, and interactions with their kids like playing games, singing songs, and reading stories to them at least three days in a typical week.

Overall, 7 percent of the fathers were found to have had a depressive episode within the first year of the child’s life and nearly half of the sad fathers had directed their frustration onto their infants. Depressed fathers were nearly four times as likely to report spanking their child in the past month, with 41 percent of depressed fathers and 13 percent of non-depressed fathers doing so. Depressed fathers were also less than half as likely to report reading stories to their children three or more times a week compared to non-depressed dads. There were no differences in the fathers' reporting of playing games or singing songs, whether depressed or not.

The above study found an association but not a cause and effect relationship between depression and paternal behaviour. Irritability often accompanies depression, which could explain the greater incidence of spanking. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) opposes striking a child for any reason, and says spanking can lead to agitation and aggression in preschool and school children. Urging parents to use time-outs or other means of discipline, the AAP warns that spanking in children less than 18 months of age raises the risk of injuring them. It also cautions that in older children, frequent spanking is associated with a high risk of violence.

The significance of depression in new fathers has gained attention in recent years and this study adds more weight to this emerging awareness. Experts recognise a father's mental health can affect child development and well-being given that fathers play an integral role in child care. By reducing positive interactions and amplifying negative interactions, paternal depression may be adversely impacting children's health and development as well as father-child relationship formation early in children's lives. The researchers conclude that the field of pediatrics is now faced with finding ways to support fathers in their parenting roles much in the same way they support mothers.

Save And Share :