Teenage depression - Family Lives
If your teenager is showing signs of depression, you may find yourself wondering whether it's 'just a phase' or something more serious. On average, three young people in every classroom are affected by mental health problems like depression. Many go undiagnosed and never get the help they need. Mental health problems cause more early deaths than either heart disease or cancer. Many teenagers are particularly vulnerable to depression, caused by the huge number of biological and social changes going on in their life, along with other factors like money worries and family breakdown. It can be difficult for many parents to know whether a child's moody or miserable behaviour is a sign of something more serious. “It’s not always obvious with teenagers if they are depressed,” says Dr Arthur Cassidy, psychologist at the Belfast Institute, who works with children with depression. Signs of teenage depression: persistent sadnessloss of interest in lifetiredness/low energy.
Headteacher encourages parents to take children sledging on snow day
We can all recall fond childhood memories of snow days; looking outside the bedroom window at the blanket of snow that’s settled overnight, wrapping up warm and heading straight to the park for some snowball fights with your friends. A headteacher believes that those fun moments should be treasured, which is why he’s urged parents to take advantage of the frosty weather conditions by keeping their children home from school and enjoying the snow instead. Shaun Fenton is the headteacher of Reigate Grammar School, an independent day school for boys and girls in Reigate, Surrey. While some disciplinarians prefer to run a tighter ship in regard to the snowfall, such as headteacher Ges Smith from Richardson Community School in East London who has banned his students from touching the snow due to “health and safety” concerns, others are adopting a far more light-hearted approach. There is so much more to a great education that the goings on of a classroom. "Double history can wait. Reuse content
Why you really should keep a journal, no matter how cheesy that sounds | News
If you've spent any significant time reading books or articles on the "science of happiness", you'll have encountered what I've long thought of as the Cheesiness Problem. It's an inescapable fact that some of the most thoroughly evidence-backed techniques for enhancing one's mood are also the most excruciatingly embarrassing – the sorts of things that those of us who imagine ourselves to be rational, sceptical types would never dream of confessing to. This is awkward, since (as I've written before) it means having to choose between maintaining a pose of sardonic detachment or doing what actually works. For me, the most vivid example is keeping a gratitude journal. On the one hand, it really helps. Anyway, this problem just got worse. Researchers led by Elizabeth Broadbent, a senior lecturer in health psychology at the University of Auckland in New Zealand, studied 49 healthy senior citizens, aged 64 to 97.
Pack for Android 2013: Our List of the Best Android Apps
7 ways to practice emotional first aid
You put a bandage on a cut or take antibiotics to treat an infection, right? No questions asked. In fact, questions would be asked if you didn’t apply first aid when necessary. So why isn’t the same true of our mental health? Pay attention to emotional pain — recognize it when it happens and work to treat it before it feels all-encompassing. Yes, practicing emotional hygiene takes a little time and effort, but it will seriously elevate your entire quality of life. See Guy Winch’s TED Talk, Why we all need to practice emotional first aid.
How not to talk to someone with depression | SE Smith
Being depressed is really not enjoyable. Depression takes many forms for many different people – some people have highs and lows, some have major depression, some have functional days and others never do. Depression can involve a huge array of treatments including therapy, medication and experimental modalities. So depression is just being really sad, right? Actually, no. Have you tried …? Yes, probably. Why not just cheer up? Seriously? It’s all in your mind Well, er, sort of. Sometimes it’s even a response to other medications; anaesthesia, for example, can cause depression for days, weeks and even months after surgery. I can’t imagine … No, you probably can’t. Can’t you just be cured? Depression is a mental health condition that can endure for life. Do you really need a service animal/meds/that much therapy? Yes. Sometimes, support takes the form of friends just being around and not backing down.
Leave those kids alone: 'helicopter parenting' linked to behavioural problems | Science
Children whose parents are over-controlling “helicopter parents” when they are toddlers, are less able to control their emotions and impulses as they get older apparently leading to more problems with school, new research suggests. The study looked at to what degree mothers of toddlers dominated playtime and showed their child what to do, and then studied how their children behaved over the following eight years, revealing that controlling parenting is linked to a number of problems as a child grows up. “Parents who are over-controlling are most often very well-intentioned and are trying to support and be there for their children,” said Dr Nicole Perry of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, who co-authored the research. At the age of five the team looked at the children’s response to an unfair share of sweets, and their ability to think carefully about a puzzle under time pressure. … we have a small favour to ask.
3 Ways to Know If Our Perceptions of Each Other Are Accurate
“If you do not tell the truth about yourself you cannot tell it about other people.” ~Virginia Woolf If you’ve ever listened to someone’s description or opinion of you and it sounded completely alien, you probably found yourself wondering where on earth they were coming from. We are told that on a universal, spiritual level, the way you perceive someone is more than just an opinion; it’s actually a reflection of you being projected onto that person. So if someone tells you that you’re beautiful, kind, or have a good heart, they can only do so because those qualities are present within them. When I was going through the depths of healing from adultery and my marriage break-up, I recalled a lot of things my ex-husband told me about myself—some of which I accepted; a lot of which I did not. It was very important to me to use forgiveness, self-love, and a sense of perspective as my tools to move on. This is true of both positive and negative interactions. 1. 2. 3. Photo by John Lemiaex
A Minimalist’s Thoughts On Diet
I no longer catch the common cold. Yes, that’s right: I don’t get sick anymore. Ever. So you don’t ever get sick, Joshua? Nope. Never? No, not at all. I bet that’s a strange thing to read, right? It’s been two years since my last cold. There is, however, one subtle change I haven’t talked about much: my gradually changing diet. Today, my diet is markedly different, and I’ve never felt more alive. Food. Avoid. Intermittent Fasting. Water, Liquids, and Juice. Supplements. Exercise. Sleep. Stress. Most important, after changing my diet and embracing a healthier lifestyle, I feel amazing. But Joshua, your diet sounds so boring and unentertaining! Does that mean my exact diet will also work for you? Improving one’s health is the foundation of living a meaningful life. Oh, and never getting sick sure is a nice bonus. Also worth reading: A Guide to Eating a Plant-Based Diet
