The Importance of Relaxation

image from Fir0002/Flagstaffotos

Relaxation can :

• Help speed up psychotherapy
• Decrease depression and anxiety
• Decrease agitation which is a sign of a mood swing that is going to occur.
• Reduce stress hormones which in excess can cause various health problems including heart disease,depression,sleeping problems,headaches,stomach problems...
• Improve your communication skills
• Reduce anger
• Help you find what your deepest personal value is
• Help you deal with a crisis and with impulsivity in a healthy way.

Various Types of Relaxation & Stress-Reduction Techniques

Diet for Mental Health Part 1

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Berries -good sources of
 antioxidants& nutrients

What You Eat Affects Your Mood!

Inflammation is associated with psychiatric disorders,especially clinical depression.Psycho-social stress and anxiety can start the inflammatory response in the brain,¹⁰ this stress causes oxidation in the brain which  damages parts of the brain including the parts that regulate mood and can result in cells dying.This process increases your chance of depression and uses up nutrients like fatty acids,zinc and magnesium causing more damage to the brain.Antioxidants (lutein,lycopene,zinc,vitaminE,A,C,beta-carotene & selenium) can help as they protect body cells from the damaging effects of oxidation.Omega 3 fatty acids,EPA specifically reduce inflammation.¹¹ 

A diet rich in antioxidants,nutrients and EPA will help your immune system and cells in both the brain to prevent and reduce symptoms of psychiatric illness.

Poor Nutrition is a Risk Factor for Mental Illness ³

BPD,Menstruation & Estrogen

 3 studies were made to see if estrogen had an effect on the symptoms of BPD.They used oral contraceptives in the 3rd study as they contain estrogen.If you have high BPD and started using oral contraceptives your symptoms increased.During times of rapidly changing estrogen levels BPD symptoms increased.

Values Improve Your Life

 Kidsonroof wishes to re-connect modern life with nature
, rediscovering basic values. 

What are Values?

They are the moral principles and beliefs or accepted standards of a person or social group

Why are they important?
They help improve your quality of life,help us deal with stress.Can help us keep motivated when we want to give up.Values can give you a sense of achievement and something to look forward to.

A quick exercise to see what your values are can be found here Identify Your True Values

Can't Afford Treatment/Want To Further Research ?

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What You Can Do:
Options include: free online CBT,studies,free/low-cost workshops,peer counselling,support groups,surveys,books,websites and self-care.

Impulsivity & Extreme Thoughts

Slowing Down Impulsiveness

When a question or comment upsets you, wait at least five seconds before responding and repeat “calm down” in your mind several times first.

When you feel a strong impulse, remind yourself that taking action at those times usually results in bad outcomes.Use feelings of regret as helpers.
                            

The Way You Say It Is More Important Than The Words

How to communicate effectively:  

1 Gentle eye contact- it increases trustworthiness and encourages future cooperation, a happy gaze will increase emotional trust.

 2.Kind facial expression.If you think about someone you love,or an event that brought you deep joy & satisfaction, a "Mona Lisa" smile will appear on your face & the muscles around your eyes will soften.

 3.Warm tone of voice-slow down and drop your pitch to convey more trust to others.When expressing joy,your voice needs to become increasingly melodic, whereas sadness is spoken with a flat and monotonic voice.  When we are angry, excited, or frightened, we raise the pitch and intensity of our voice, and there’s a