ReportWire

Tag: Depression

  • “How I Restarted My Life After a Post-Menopausal ADHD Diagnosis”

    “How I Restarted My Life After a Post-Menopausal ADHD Diagnosis”

    [ad_1]

    The First 50 Years

    Why am I like this? Why is everything such a struggle?

    These are the questions that would plague me as soon as I’d wake up. There would be an avalanche of tumbling thoughts accompanied by fruitless resolutions to do better today than I did yesterday and most of the days of the past 50 years of my life.

    Shoulds and have-tos mounted before I even sat up in bed. Procrastination began immediately. Today, I’d proclaim, I’ll start getting ready as soon as I have my coffee. But… I didn’t. Merely getting into the shower was a battle. By the time I was ready, I was already running behind. Again.

    Most of the days in my life looked like this. I’m an adult, I’d tell myself. I’ve been an adult for decades. So why can’t I ever manage to plug my intentions into my motor cortex and just DO things without an epic struggle through resistance?

    As Brené Brown told Tim Ferriss: “Midlife… is not a crisis. It’s a slow, brutal unraveling.” For most of my life, cycles of procrastination and panic-induced productivity got me through things — more or less. But when I reached midlife, burnout was increasingly winning these battles. My old constant companion, anxiety, was just sort of there, hanging out like the parasite it was. Cranked up to 11, yes, but what good was it if it could no longer motivate me like it used to?

    The Midlife Shift

    Today, when I wake up, there’s no wave of anxiety, no dread of getting out of bed. I pour a cup of coffee and sit at my window, watching the birds. I take my time in the morning. My one rule for early mornings is to not engage in screen time right after waking. I sit and sip and let my mind wander.

    [Download This Free Guide to Menopause and ADHD]

    After journaling and meditating, it’s time for breakfast. I get ready at my own pace. My morning routine takes a long time, but I can afford to take my time. I schedule my days to allow it, because this is what my mind and body want. This sets the tone for the day.

    Then comes work. I step gently through my to-do list, taking breaks when I need to. I switch tasks, working for a short block at each. The pacing is enough to prevent boredom and frustration, while still giving each task enough time to make some progress. I’m so much more consistent than I used to be; I make a little progress on each project each day. No more default procrastination, unable to start a task until I’m right up against — or past — an appointment or a deadline, then relying on intense stress to push through.

    What changed?

    An ADHD Diagnosis After Menopause

    I was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 52. Like many women with ADHD, I was diagnosed after menopause, when a drop in hormones makes symptoms much more apparent. Despite no medical professional ever spotting it before, my ADHD, as my diagnostician put it, “isn’t subtle.” He had to walk me through a meltdown over the phone when I couldn’t get through the questionnaire for my evaluation.

    I’ll never forget the sense of gratification and relief I felt as I looked at his report. I read his clinical judgments for the degree of impairment for each symptom: “Severe.” “Severe.” “Severe.” Or sometimes, “Moderate to severe.”

    [We Demand Attention: A Call for Research on ADHD and the Menopausal Transition]

    After learning what having ADHD really meant — being wired for executive functioning difficulties — I was finally able to be compassionate and accepting toward the way I operated. My struggles and limitations started to make sense.

    Starting Over

    I tried a thought experiment: What if I start to regard all my supposed flaws and weaknesses — my absentmindedness, my inability to focus, the way I was always running late, how desperately hard it was to start any task — as features I simply have to work with, with no moral condemnation attached to them?

    This was a major reversal from the way I had previously moved through my life. This meant starting over with a mindset that I hadn’t had since almost before my earliest memories. And with that, everything shifted.

    I started to schedule around my energy levels, instead of what I thought I “should” be able to do. For example, I stopped thinking of 40-hour (or more) work weeks as somehow being optimal. Instead, I asked myself what I could do with part-time hours, so that I could live without constant burnout.

    By understanding executive dysfunction and the constant fatigue of working with a very messy high-octane brain, I radically dialed back my demands of myself. I learned to work within my window of tolerance.

    I stopped thinking of my energy limits as temporary obstacles, to be dismissed or plowed through. This was my wiring. It’s not going to change. This is what I have to work with.

    Midlife ADHD and Menopause: Next Steps

    SUPPORT ADDITUDE
    Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

    [ad_2]

    Nathaly Pesantez

    Source link

  • Saunas Are the Next Frontier in Fighting Depression

    Saunas Are the Next Frontier in Fighting Depression

    [ad_1]

    “The premise of this is great,” says Earric Lee, a physiologist with the Montreal Heart Institute, who was not involved in the study but has led sauna studies since completing his doctoral research in Finland. “Trying to move away from pharmacology is a good thing.” More than 250 million people worldwide have major depressive disorder, and tens of millions of people don’t respond to any available treatment.

    Such a small study doesn’t prove that sauna therapy can treat depression. “Single-arm studies have meaningful weaknesses,” Mason admits. The cohort was too small to test multiple scenarios, such as varying degrees of heating, CBT without heat, or an attempt at a placebo. (Tricking people into thinking they’ve had heat treatment when they haven’t is difficult, but not impossible—the 2016 study into hyperthermia had a placebo arm that subjected people to mild heat, and convinced 72 percent of participants that they were receiving the actual treatment.)

    But these results harden Mason’s hunch that heat sessions may ease debilitating symptoms of depression, and that this is an avenue that needs to be better explored. Eight weeks of CBT alone shouldn’t achieve such high remission rates.

    Adam Chekroud, an adjunct assistant professor of psychiatry at Yale University, appreciates the potential benefit of the hyperthermia routine, but remains skeptical about why Mason’s study produced the results reported. For one, some of the participants completed weekly sauna sessions in Mason’s study while others completed fortnightly sessions; Chekroud believes that the benefit of receiving a “higher dose” of heat would manifest itself if the intervention were as strong as effective antidepressants. “The placebo effect is powerful in mental health,” he says.

    Still, Chekroud sees the value in these explorations. “So much of the history of the treatments for depression started out as a bit experimental,” he says. Exercise, meditation, and yoga are all potentially effective mind-body options. “Exercise is a phenomenally effective treatment,” Chekroud says, noting his own 2018 study in The Lancet analyzing data from 1.2 million people.

    Comparing heat therapy to exercise is not totally unfounded. Beyond just sweating and increasing heart rate, exercise, like using a sauna, also requires getting out of bed, making a plan, and maybe interacting with people—actions that themselves may have an impact on mood. “You’re gonna go back home and feel proud that you’ve made a change in your life,” Chekroud says. “Psychologically, these are big similarities.”

    But it’s plausible that the heat itself may contribute too, notes Lee, the sauna physiologist. We know that thermoregulation correlates with mood and moves in tandem with circadian rhythms: Your body typically cools down at night and warms in the early morning, but this temperature regulation turns wonky in severe depression. This might then impair sleep, which is also linked to mood.

    Doses of extreme heat might have some sort of hacking or resetting effect on thermoregulation, which then changes mood. Sauna can kickstart the body’s “cool down” programming, Lee says. “You fake it into thinking that it needs to lower its temperature much more,” he says. “So it will get there quickly.”

    Whatever the mechanism, heat therapy may be more accessible to people than pharmaceuticals, talk therapy, or vigorous workouts. “We know exercise works for depression,” Mason says. “It’s just much easier to get someone to lay down in a sauna for a while than to go on an hourlong run—especially if they have depression.” Ditto for people with disabilities.

    Mason’s trial is still several years—and many grant dollars—away from really nailing down the efficacy of antidepressant heat, though the new results have bolstered her optimism. “A mind and body treatment with that kind of outcome is surely worthy of further study,“ she says. “I hope that grant reviewers and funding agencies will agree.” Her long-term goal is to amass enough convincing evidence for insurance companies to cover practices like sauna, “so that when a person with depression is considering a menu of treatment options, this is on the menu.”

    [ad_2]

    Max G. Levy

    Source link

  • “How I Learned to Quiet My ADHD Ruminations”

    “How I Learned to Quiet My ADHD Ruminations”

    [ad_1]

    It’s sunny outside. That means it’s a great day for my signature 5-Mile Rumination Walk.

    I pack my things into my mini backpack and out the door I go. This is the beginning of a 4.75-mile rumination out in beautiful nature, with a quarter mile at the end reserved for noticing and enjoying said nature — 112 minutes of rumination and 8 minutes of awe.

    Life is good. The weather is clear and welcoming. The trail is all mine. These are perfect conditions to start my dive into a deep, negative, ruminative trance. Soon I’ll be sucked into an intricately engineered inner-dialogue of ADHD angst, despair, and huffy ire — exactly what you’d want to be doing on a walk through the open-air beauty of the outdoors.

    Not.

    My Ruminations: Negative ADHD Thoughts Galore

    My ADHD ruminations are usually born from a simple thought that bugs me just enough to spur further thought. Soon this little bug-thought grows into a goliath insect that lumbers like a creepy thing beside me for most of my precious time on the trail. Life is short. Trail walks are even shorter. Ruminations are hungry wasps that will eat up all my time if I let them.

    My walking ruminations tend to be hypothetical conversations with people in my life — central or peripheral. I invent their words and my responses to them. None of it is real, it’s negative or positive, and it continues unabated because it feels impossible to halt.

    [Read: 9 Calming Strategies for a Racing, Restless Mind]

    At times, my ruminations are practice-talk for the future, which can be a good thing. I might practice what I’d say in a personal conversation, an ADHD coaching session with a client, or a presentation. These are helpful. Other times, these imaginary dialogues bring me down because they trash the opportunity to be positive. They invent and reinforce worst-case scenarios. They also trick my brain into thinking that my life really is a negative soup — all based on a complete fabrication.

    It’s a Pattern: Putting a Stop to Negative Thoughts

    Ruminations take over my mind and it feels as if I have no choice — but I do. But how do I choose if I don’t always realize I have options?

    In the book ADHD 2.0, Edward Hallowell, M.D., and John Ratey, M.D., explain how our ADHD brains spend more time in the Default Mode Network (DMN) than does a non-ADHD brain. This DMN is where we generate our creative thinking — for better and for worse. My active DMN is what the trees along my walking trail can thank for my loud kvetching as I pass by.

    But I knew all this and yet kept walking and fretting. Then, one day, a wave of nostalgia hit me when a song came on my phone during one of my rumination walks. It was a song I listened to during my COVID walks when the world shut down. Just as it did on those pandemic walks, the tune sparked in me a practiced response: teary-eyed sadness.

    [Read: How to Stop Overthinking Things — A User’s Manual for Your ADHD Brain]

    Then it hit me: Wait a second. There is no sad situation right now. COVID and that challenging time is over. That song was sparking an old, habituated response and it dawned on me that this was akin to what my ruminations do. They spur in me a practiced response to something that isn’t there. It’s a mirage, fake, not true. It showed me how far from reality my mind can stray, and how easily and quickly it gets there.

    “Steph,” I said, “you don’t have to practice this response all the time. You don’t have to practice it at all.”

    So, on that walk, I didn’t. I let it go. I squelched the beginnings of a new rumination. I quieted my mind because suddenly I saw that my reality was quite peaceful and secure. There were trees and birds. There was sun and a special time I could spend in nature. In that moment, I moved from ruminator extraordinaire to grateful me because, for once, I could just be without the struggle. I can’t describe how freeing that was.

    Ruminating Thoughts and ADHD: Next Steps

    SUPPORT ADDITUDE
    Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

    [ad_2]

    Nathaly Pesantez

    Source link

  • 44% of Americans feel they’ve lost time to poor mental health, survey says. It’s worse for people with depression or anxiety

    44% of Americans feel they’ve lost time to poor mental health, survey says. It’s worse for people with depression or anxiety

    [ad_1]

    Every now and then you may wonder, Where did the time go? Whether mystified at how quickly an afternoon slipped away or reflecting on years gone by at lightning speed, you’ve probably experienced periodic sensations of lost time. Yet 44% of Americans feel they’ve lost time in their lives due to a known culprit: poor mental health.

    Among people diagnosed with depression and/or anxiety, this percentage nearly doubles to 78%.

    That’s according to a new national survey from Myriad Genetics, dubbed the GeneSight Mental Health Monitor. In February, the genetic testing company and ACUPOLL Precision Research surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults about their mental health. The results, published in April, reveal the chronological toll of mental illness.

    Among respondents diagnosed with depression and/or anxiety, 50% said they’ve lost years of their life to poor mental health, while 12% said they’ve lost decades.

    “For a patient who is struggling, time ticks a lot slower than it does for the rest of us,” Debbie Thomas, EdD, a psychiatric nurse practitioner in Prospect, Ky., said in a GeneSight news release. “One of my patients told me that when they woke up in the morning, they counted how many hours before they could go back to bed. That’s pretty telling when someone is in the depths of depression and anxiety to that degree.”  

    Many people reported poor mental health has robbed them of not only time itself, but also fundamental moments. About 71% of respondents said it has kept them from being fully present during important events, and more than half of people with depression and/or anxiety said they’d missed out on a major life event because of their mental health. Respondents with these conditions said they felt guilty, hopeless, useless, worthless, and/or self-critical when missing milestones.

    In addition, 33% of respondents with depression and/or anxiety cited ineffective mental health treatments as a reason for missing significant events.

    The vast majority of people with depression and/or anxiety, 82%, said their mental health had prevented them from having fun or enjoying themselves in the past year, compared to 78% of all respondents.

    Patients with depression and/or anxiety tend to be as upset about the time they feel they lost due to poor mental health as they are about having a mental illness, said Sharon Philbin, MSN, an advanced practice registered nurse in Pawtucket, R.I.

    “Patients who have lost time due to depressive episodes or periods of anxiety often feel a sense of loss, which further complicates their mental health situation,” Philbin said in the news release. “Many of my patients say they are thankful they feel better, but they worry that it will happen again.”

    Just 16% of survey respondents said they feel “ready to take on the world” following a depressive episode. They also feel:

    • Exhausted: 60%
    • Coming out of a fog: 50%
    • Disappointed to have missed out on life: 47%

    The survey relied on respondents to self-report having been diagnosed with depression or anxiety by a medical professional. While polling included mental health screening instruments—the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2) for depression and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2 (GAD-2) questionnaire for anxiety—it’s unclear what types of these disorders respondents had.

    If you need immediate mental health support, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

    For more on mental health:

    Subscribe to Well Adjusted, our newsletter full of simple strategies to work smarter and live better, from the Fortune Well team. Sign up for free today.

    [ad_2]

    Lindsey Leake

    Source link

  • “11 Things I’d Tell My Younger Self”

    “11 Things I’d Tell My Younger Self”

    [ad_1]

    When I was diagnosed with ADHD in my 40s, I looked back at my life with a new set of eyes. My heart broke for the child I was. Messiness, time blindness, compulsive hyperfocus, emotional dysregulation, and rejection sensitivity were all things I’d internalized as my personal failings and default personality traits rather than what they really were: ADHD symptoms.

    For most of my life, I did not have the knowledge I needed to understand myself and counterbalance pervasive negative messaging that made me feel inherently defective and ashamed. Post-diagnosis, it still takes a lot of effort to notice and rectify harmful, anti-neurodivergent messaging from those close to me and from wider society.

    I’ve been on a journey to drain my seemingly bottomless pool of shame, and it’s not a linear process. There are days I revert to child-me, hiding in my bathroom, feeling small, powerless, and voiceless. What helps me is to speak to that little girl and tell her all the things I wish I heard growing up — things that would have helped me break the difference = shame equation that crystallized in my young mind.

    Dear Younger Self: What All Girls with ADHD Need to Hear

    1. You are strong. Strength is not the absence of fear. Strength is having fears and going outside your comfort zone anyway. It takes strength and courage to show your vulnerability. Your differences, challenges, and even your perceived blunders are signs of strength and determination!

    2. There’s no singular “right way” of doing things. There are many ways to do things and many paths to get you where you want to go.

    [Read: What Are the Consequences of Late-Life ADHD Diagnoses for Women?]

    3. Some things are super hard, and you can ask for help if you need it. Asking for help doesn’t mean you are a failure, or that you are weak or a burden to others. I know you want to push through all on your own, because people always tell you to “try harder” or “have more discipline,” which makes you feel guilty. To be honest, that’s bad advice because they don’t know how hard you’re trying. I really need you to not be so hard on yourself, to learn to ask for help – everyone struggles with some things in life and it’s OK. And when you find yourself struggling, remember that you have plenty of other strengths and skills to celebrate!

    4. Trust yourself! Your intuition – it is trustworthy. Your feelings – they are valid. Your voice – you don’t need permission to use it, and it’s OK to struggle to express yourself verbally; it’s something that takes practice and you’ll get better at it.

    5. Shame tells us to hide. Don’t. Look it in the eye, say no, thank you, and tell it to leave. I know you try hard to be a “good girl” and make your parents proud, but it’s OK to break out of the mold and color outside the lines. You have a right to claim space. You have things to show and teach the world! Let people know the real you!

    6. You are not alone in your feelings. If you feel lonely, insecure, or misunderstood, chances are others do, too! Sometimes you can have a lot of feelings, and it can be tough to contain them all. When you share how you feel, it helps you make sense of your emotions. And you give others the chance to help you, and to share their vulnerabilities.

    [Read: 42 Raw Confessions from Women with ADHD]

    7. It’s a beautiful thing to be a sensitive soul. You feel things deeply, you tune into people’s emotions, and wear your heart on your sleeve. That’s not a bad thing, though it does mean you can feel hurt and rejected when others don’t treat you the way you want to be treated. Just remember people have different levels of sensitivity. Some people struggle to be sensitive, while you have easy access to this quality and the gifts it presents, like being creative and empathetic.

    8. Don’t try to be like everyone else. It’s normal to want to fit in with others, especially when you are growing up. But people love you for who you are. They love your light, your creativity, your uniqueness. Continue being your playful self!

    9. You don’t need to be perfect to be loved. You are enough. Just the way you are. Enjoy the process rather than focusing on the results. Embrace imperfection — it will teach you to let go of self-criticism. It’s totally OK to be imperfect and to fail, and you will still be loved and accepted for who you are.

    10. I am proud of you. Your value is not in what you achieve, but in who you are as a person. Your heart and your spirit. I am proud of who you are. I am proud of you for always trying things even though they may be hard for you.

    11. I love you!

    Spoiler alert: I still struggle and I don’t have it all figured out. I still need to repeat these nuggets of advice to myself each day. But the imaginary exercise of speaking to my younger self has helped me to understand where my limiting beliefs came from and to choose the words that help change my narratives.

    Unlearning ingrained thought patterns is hard work. But repeating these things to myself and being my own advocate has made me kinder to myself and more authentically me. I hope it helps you, too.

    I also made a comic about this very topic! You can read it in full here.

    Healing Your Inner Child: Next Steps

    Illustrations courtesy of Juliette Yu-Ming Lizeray.

    SUPPORT ADDITUDE
    Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

    [ad_2]

    Nathaly Pesantez

    Source link

  • “5 Things Your ADHD Kid Means (But Forgets) to Tell You on Mother’s Day”

    “5 Things Your ADHD Kid Means (But Forgets) to Tell You on Mother’s Day”

    [ad_1]

    Being a mom is a thankless job. Sure, there’s a full day (a whole 24 hours!) dedicated to appreciating Mothers, but we all know appreciation from loved ones isn’t guaranteed on this day.

    If you’re a mom who is raising children with ADHD, you may have complicated feelings about Mother’s Day. You may feel unnoticed and left out on this day, as the unique challenges and joys of caring for a neurodivergent child aren’t often widely represented. A “thank you” from your little one would be wonderful, you say. Then again, you also recognize that your child may have trouble expressing their thoughts and how they really feel about you, much less planning and executing breakfast in bed.

    So this one’s for the amazing moms who are always in their kiddo’s corner, no matter what. The heartfelt thanks your kid would give you if they had the words (even if they accidentally forgot about Mother’s Day)? They’re all here:

    [Read: What ADHD Moms Really Want This Mother’s Day]

    5 Things Your ADHD Kiddo Really Means to Tell You on Mother’s Day

    1. Thank you for understanding me. “Mom, you always try to understand me, even when I’m all over the place. I know it’s not always easy, but you make me feel like I’m okay just the way I am.”

    2. I appreciate how you keep me organized. “The way you help me stay organized and on track is a lifesaver. Your checklists and reminders really help me, even if I don’t always show it.”

    3. I admire your calmness. “When I get overwhelmed or upset, you stay so calm. It helps me feel safe and helps me calm down, too. You have this magic way of making everything better.”

    4. I’m sorry for the tough days. “I know there are days when I really test your patience, and I’m sorry. Thank you for sticking with me through the tantrums, the meltdowns, and everything else.”

    [Read: “Dear Mom of a Newly Diagnosed Kid with ADHD”]

    5. Thanks for believing in me, even when I don’t believe in myself. “You always believe I can do great things, even when I mess up or get distracted. Knowing that you believe in me makes me feel like I can do anything.”

    They might not thank you this Mother’s Day, but someday they will — whether through their words or actions. Until then, I’m here to remind you just how much you mean.

    Mother’s Day & ADHD Families: Next Steps

    SUPPORT ADDITUDE
    Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

    [ad_2]

    Nathaly Pesantez

    Source link

  • “Are You Missing Play in Your Life?”

    “Are You Missing Play in Your Life?”

    [ad_1]

    Play is the unsung hero of stress management and wellbeing. Intentional and regular practice of playfulness is vital for busy ADHD brains that field many competing interests at a time – from careers and families to household obligations, symptom management, and more. Play, unfortunately, is often pushed to the bottom of the priority list.

    The Benefits of Play

    Play – engaging in a fun, amusing, entertaining, activity for the joy of it – is an effective way to boost the feel-good hormone dopamine that so many ADHD brains crave. Dopamine reduces stress and brings calm, promotes creativity and cooperation, and even reduces inflammation. Play can also individuals help break out of hyperfocus, which can lead to ADHD burnout if left uninterrupted. Play allows the body and mind to rest, process, and restore its energy to make it through another day.

    Fitting in Play

    Play isn’t just for children. It’s as important as everything else on your to-do list. But what counts as play? According to Peter Gray, Ph.D., the psychologist and author, play is:

    [Read: The Perils of All Work, No Play]

    • self-chosen and self-directed
    • intrinsically motivated rather that outcome based
    • guided by mental rules that leave room for creativity
    • imaginative
    • conducted in an alert, active, but relatively non-stressed frame of mind

    The possibilities for play, it seems, are endless! All things creative and artistic fit – from playing an instrument and painting to building puzzles and making up games. Still, integrating play through the day can seem impossible with a busy schedule. In her TEDx Talk “Play: The Cure for Burnout,” Acey Holmes, CEO of BoredLess, suggests weaving play into everyday situations and responsibilities to make them interesting or entertaining. Some ideas include the following:

    • Listen to your favorite music while doing chores or work duties – and perhaps break out in dance while you’re at it.
    • Institute play breaks in between tasks. One of my clients loves the Paint by Number coloring app to let her mind wander creatively through the day. Setting an alarm may prevent your mind from wandering so far off track that it can’t return.
    • In the spaces where you get work done, introduce appealing scents and imagery you find fun or inspiring.
    • Equip your workspace with toys (anything from LEGOs to fidgets) that light up your brain.
    • Play a harmless prank on family members to get everyone’s laughter going.

    Whichever way you integrate play into your life, know that it is a powerful way to manage stress and increase productivity and joy — ADHD or otherwise. Even if things feel overwhelming, try looking for at least one way to play each day. You may be surprised by how easy it is to rediscover play once you pay attention to it.

    Portions of this post were inspired by my book: Powered by ADHD: Strategies and Exercises for Women to Harness Their Untapped Gifts.

    How to Be Playful: Next Steps

    SUPPORT ADDITUDE
    Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

    References

    Quintero, Olga L., et al. “Autoimmune disease and gender: plausible mechanisms for the female predominance of autoimmunity.” Journal of autoimmunity 38.2-3 (2012): J109-J119.

    Brauer, K., Scherrer, T., & Proyer, R. T. (2021). Testing the Associations Between Adult Playfulness and Sensation Seeking: A SEM Analysis of Librarians and Police Officers. Frontiers in psychology, 12, 667165. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.667165

    [ad_2]

    Nathaly Pesantez

    Source link

  • Can CBD Oils Help With Anxiety & Depression

    Can CBD Oils Help With Anxiety & Depression

    [ad_1]

    War, relationships, political news, work at home or office, all adding to the stress of life.  For some, they can manage it and move forward, for others, it can be a pit of sadness…but most it seems experience anxiety and depression at some point. In a surprise, the Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey finds  half (50%) of adults ages 18-24 reported anxiety and depression symptoms. It can causes sleep deprivation, loss of energy, and high blood pressure and general uneasiness.

    It is tough to deal with it while maintain your life. It is always good to talk to a trained medical professional and there are prescriptions, but can CBD oils help with anxiety & depression?

    Photo by Anshu A via Unsplash

    What Is CBD?

    Cannabidiol(CBD) can be extracted from cannabis plants, marijuana leaves, and hemp flowers. CBD products act as a natural remedy.  By consuming or using this product you will not get high or have any psychotic reaction. Numerous studies have been carried out on different products of CBD and a quality check has also been approved by the FDA.

    Reports say that CBD has less than 0.3 % THC, which is very safe than a lot of other drugs and pills that are taken for mental health.

    RELATED: How To Find High-Quality CBD Oil

    CBD products are now legally consumed and distributed in many states and countries. The list includes countries like German, Canada, Denmark, Sweden, The USA & The UK.

    Just like different brands of marijuana, there are also various brands of CBD oils available.

    In the USA you can only use CBD products for medical purposes. It has to be prescribed by a licensed doctor for you to buy and consume it.

    If your state has legalized the sale and consumption of cannabis products then it will be easier to find CBD oils in some particular cannabis clinics, shops, and online stores like CBD Oil Uk.

    The Difference Between Stress And Anxiety

    Stress is a short-term ailment that can happen regularly or once in a while and does not cause any serious damages. Besides, it can be managed easily.

    If you face problems like frustration, exhaustion, muscle pain, digestive issues, and difficulty sleeping frequently then it is likely you are dealing with stress.

    Anxiety is more severe than stress. It can not be alleviated easily. Instead, it is considered as non-stop excessive worry and fear even when everything is perfectly fine in your life.

    Anxiety leads to a set of symptoms that are almost identical to stress but very serious. These include insomnia, difficulty in concentration, fatigue, and muscle tension.

    It is important to differentiate the signs of stress and anxiety. Stress is a common cause of anxiety and to avoid anxiety symptoms, it is important to catch them early.

    person holding amber glass bottle
    Photo by Christin Hume via Unsplash

    How CBD Products Can Help

    Here are 4 ways CBD products can help reduce anxiety and depression-

    1.CBD Improves Your Sleep Cycle

    People suffering from anxiety often complain about the lack of sleep.

    Excessive anxiety often interrupts your sleep cycle and lack of sleep can, in turn, result in more anxiety.

    CBD has claimed to reduce anxiety levels. It has even shown positive results in clinical trials that is why the FDA has approved CBD in the first place.

    RELATED: 5 Ways To Incorporate Effective CBD Products Into Your Everyday Life

    CBD helps calm our minds and increases the chances of falling asleep naturally and without any disruption.

    Also, studies have proven that little extra dosage of CBD creates a sedative effect on your body and helps to sleep and lets your brain rest. CBD products are now used to treat people with insomnia as well.

    2.CBD Reduces Pain & Inflammation

    Earlier we have discussed that stress and anxiety can cause muscle pain, headaches, and chronic inflammation.

    CBD products are completely natural. The products have been proven to be a muscle relaxant and work better than any standard painkillers since it has no side effects.

    CBD also works as anti-inflammatory drugs. It controls cytokine production which is generally responsible for various inflammatory diseases in our body.

    This increased inflammation is also connected to higher levels of anxiety. Just like sleep and anxiety, this one is also a chain reaction.

    Inflammatory diseases like psoriasis and arthritis can cause depression and anxiety in the long run. CBD oil helps to reduce inflammation and pain by reducing cytokine and affecting CB-2 receptors. This reduces pain and decreases the chance of getting an anxiety attack.

    3. CBD improves mood

    CBD is considered as a “Neuroprotective” material. “Neuroprotective” actually means it will protect nerve cells by keeping a safe functioning state of the nervous system.

    Moreover, it decreases the oxidative stress of your brain.

    By keeping your negative emotions in check, CBD helps you to improve your mood and keeps your brain calm and relaxed. It reduces unnecessary stress and anxiety.

    4. CBD Helps Enhance Metabolism

    If you have a poor digestive and metabolism system, it will affect your quality of life.

    It will make you feel bloated and lethargic. Illness disrupts the natural functioning of your body and if it becomes more serious it causes stress and ultimately, leads to anxiety.

    If you start consuming CBD regularly, it will improve your metabolism, burn unnecessary fat, and make you feel better.

    Here Are The Most Popular Conditions CBD Can Treat
    Photo by skynesher/Getty Images

    How To Choose CBD Products

    CBD has various types of products in the market including oil, tablets, edibles, beverages, creams, and vape. Although the overall vape sales slowed down during this year. Things are starting to look better.

    But still, the CBD oils are the most popular ones by a large margin. Each of the types provides almost the same benefits with some unique advantages of their own.  CBD oils have to be consumed daily and provide the most health benefits. They are also the most concentrated ones.  CBD gummies are sweet and take a long time to take effect. CBD lotions are best for exterior physical discomfort.

    Depending on your medical condition, you should consult with a healthcare professional who has experience with CBD to choose the right product.

     

    [ad_2]

    Sarah Johns

    Source link

  • “The Bumbling Dad Trope, Reversed: On Motherhood with ADHD”

    “The Bumbling Dad Trope, Reversed: On Motherhood with ADHD”

    [ad_1]

    If you grew up in the ‘90s like me, you undoubtedly watched sitcoms featuring the Dumb Dad. From Homer Simpson and Ray Romano to Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor, the Dumb Dad trope was as much a part of our generation as were chunky heels and butterfly clips.

    On the flip side, mothers were portrayed as multitasking heroes who kept their families and homes from falling apart. Sure, these are stereotypes, but they’re mostly grounded in real-life expectations. Women are supposed to be the tidy, organized, and dependable ones. When you need help with homework, Mom’s the first one you ask. When you can’t find something, Mom knows where it is. When you need a special cake for your birthday, Mom can make it just right.

    For a woman like me who struggles with ADHD, these expectations can be painful. Daddy is the one who keeps things running around here. He’s the organized and calm one. I do a lot. But if it weren’t for him, we’d have ice cream melting in the refrigerator.

    [Read: “Housekeeping Is Not Motherhood.”]

    I’m fairly traditional. I worked from home with my kids for years by choice. I wanted to cook their meals from scratch, but I almost always left out a crucial ingredient. I was there every time they pulled out a new board game, but I had a hard time sitting down and reading the instructions. I took them to fun places, but it was never a stress-free event. This mama forgot water bottles, diapers, wet wipes, and validation tickets. At some point, I realized I was the Dumb Dad.

    For a long time, guilt and feelings of inadequacy plagued me. Not anymore. I’m so grateful to have a husband who grounds me. And with his support, I’m learning self-love.

    The Dumb Dad may be bumbling, but he’s also adored. The kids never hold his cluelessness against him because his benevolence is clear. As my kids get older, they’re learning that their mom struggles with some things. And they know that it’s perfectly okay.

    I’ve stopped trying to follow recipes or fix remotes. I’m focusing on the things I do well. I’m showing my daughter with ADHD all the tips I’ve learned to make life easier. I’m teaching her about civics and history, where I thrive. I’m hyperfocusing when my children need it, whether they’ve got a mysterious rash or someone needs to convince the city to put crossing guards at the school. I’m dancing and singing to all the kids’ songs because I’m a goofball like them and I know all the words.

    I’m not the most organized mom, but I love my children more than anything on this earth. And they know it.

    Gender Stereotypes and ADHD: Next Steps

    SUPPORT ADDITUDE
    Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

    [ad_2]

    Nathaly Pesantez

    Source link

  • New Study Shows This Improves Women’s Sleep & Mental Health

    New Study Shows This Improves Women’s Sleep & Mental Health

    [ad_1]

    Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

    Molly Knudsen, M.S., RDN is a Registered Dietician Nutritionist with a bachelor’s degree in nutrition from Texas Christian University and a master’s in nutrition interventions, communication, and behavior change from Tufts University. She lives in Newport Beach, California, and enjoys connecting people to the food they eat and how it influences health and wellbeing.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • The DEA’s Manufactured Crisis

    The DEA’s Manufactured Crisis

    [ad_1]

    The following is a personal essay reflecting the opinions of the author.

    It began with an Adderall shortage in 2022. Today, prescriptions for many stimulant medications used as the first-line treatment of ADHD are consistently and frustratingly difficult to fill. So it’s unsurprising that ADHD features prominently in the majority of public comments submitted to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) by stakeholders impacted by long-term medication shortages involved in the treatment of many conditions, including cancer. ADHD patients demand attention on their suffering.

    But, by inviting public testimony on the stimulant shortage and pharmaceutical practices, I believe the FTC is only trying to find cover for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The DEA is the only governmental agency that sets production and distribution quotas for every drug company manufacturing controlled medication. The DEA decides how much of each medication can be released to pharmacies in any given month. Therefore, this problem traces its roots and long tendrils back to the DEA alone. No other agency has the authority to create and prolong it.

    The DEA meets with every company that markets a controlled substance each March and April to determine how much of that company’s product can be released each month in the following calendar year. This process tries to predict in March of 2024 how much medication will be needed 21 months later in December of 2025. It is a crude and inadequate system that the DEA is too inflexible to relinquish.

    For as long as the United States government has wrestled with combatting the distribution and use of illicit drugs, the DEA has used only one tactic — restricting the amount of drugs available to be sold legally. Now, the DEA is using the same playbook for ADHD stimulants.

    Roots of the Adderall Shortage

    Two years ago, the DEA decided that ADHD stimulants were being diverted and abused on a large scale, though there was virtually no evidence to support this belief. Studies have shown that a number of people (statistics vary) try stimulants but do not continue to take them without a prescription. About 90% of the diverted immediate-release stimulants are used by a narrow demographic: white male college students who use the drugs so they can stay awake. The medications are not being abused by people with ADHD, many of whom consider the drugs a lifeline for daily functioning.

    [Read: Call to Action! Speak Up to End the ADHD Drug Shortage]

    The DEA’s skepticism also came on the heels of increased rates of ADHD diagnosis and as a response to online providers who were sloppy about prescribing ADHD stimulants during the pandemic. The online clinics, however, never accounted for more than 1% of all prescriptions issued. And that problem was solved more than two years ago.

    The DEA also observed that the number of people taking ADHD medications had been growing by 10% a year for 15 years. The growth rose largely from adults being diagnosed in later life. The relative number of children and adolescents taking stimulants has not changed in 20 years.

    The DEA’s apparent logic behind its sweeping decisions was that these adults were abusing prescription stimulants, disregarding the well-documented evidence that ADHD persists after childhood. The rate of diagnosis and medication treatment is rising faster in every European country as well.  In the last year for which I had access to the drug company marketing studies (2014), the average age of diagnosis of ADHD was 31.

    The DEA does not bother with facts. Its answer to this increased level of prescriptions: Decrease the amount of drug available regardless of consequences. Even when it became abundantly clear that placing quotas on drug companies had been a disastrous decision, the DEA did not reverse course. Even if the DEA decided in April to raise the allotments of drugs released to pharmacies, its current flawed and inflexible distribution mechanism would not allow for an increase until January 2025.

    [Download: The Ultimate Guide to ADHD Medication]

    I strongly suspect that the FTC is looking for an agency other than the DEA to blame. First, it said the drug companies were not making enough medication. But the drug companies were making and distributing as much as the DEA allowed them to. The idea that the drug companies were forgoing billions of dollars of profit was always unbelievable. Then the blame was laid on raw material shortages, but after two years, that explanation became hard to believe as well.

    Then the FTC, FDA, and DEA blamed the telemedicine-only clinics that sprang up during the pandemic. However, the bad actors in this area have all closed down. Still, there has been no improvement in the shortage.

    The time has long since passed for the DEA to admit its fault and fix its broken quota system. There has already been too much needless suffering by innocent people who did nothing to cause the DEA’s restrictions.

    Give Your Input on the Drug Shortage

    The deadline to submit public RFI comments to the FTC and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is May 30, 2024. Add your testimony at www.regulations.gov. (Direct link to the comment section)

    The public can also demand an end to the ADHD medication shortage by writing letters to representatives, the DEA, and the FDA using templates provided by ADDitude.

    Adderall Shortage & DEA: Next Steps

    SUPPORT ADDITUDE
    Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

    [ad_2]

    Melanie Wachsman

    Source link

  • Cheslie Kryst’s mother opens up about finishing the book about her daughter’s life

    Cheslie Kryst’s mother opens up about finishing the book about her daughter’s life

    [ad_1]

    Cheslie Kryst’s mother has finished her book “By The Time You Read This: The Space between Cheslie’s Smile and Mental Illness.”

    Cheslie Kryst’s mother has finished her book “By The Time You Read This: The Space between Cheslie’s Smile and Mental Illness.”


    Blue Method Films

    Editor’s note: This story contains mentions of mental health and suicide. If you or someone you know needs immediate assistance, help is available. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7 by calling or texting 988 or visiting 988lifeline.org.

    Like many mothers and daughters, Cheslie Kryst and April Simpkins were extremely close, talking every day. But, one day in 2022, Simpkins picked up the phone to call her daughter after teaching a workout class — one she’d thought about skipping — and instead had a text that changed her life forever:

    “First, I’m sorry,” Cheslie had written. “By the time you get this, I won’t be alive anymore and it makes me even more sad to write this because I know it will hurt you most.”

    Before she tragically died by suicide at age 30, Cheslie had begun working on her memoir and nearly two years later, her mom has completed it. The newly released book, “By the Time You Read This,” begins with Cheslie’s story in her own words. Her mom then picks up the narrative, and she shares what she went through after her daughter’s death.

    Cheslie Kryst
    Cheslie Kryst Business Wire

    Finishing what Cheslie started

    As the longest reigning Miss USA in history, Kryst had a significant and historical impact. During her time as a titleholder, she was part of the infamous “Black dynasty” of national and international pageant queens.

    Cheslie Kryst, Miss North Carolina USA 2019, as she was crowned the new Miss USA by Miss USA 2018, Sarah Rose Summers on May 2, 2019.
    Cheslie Kryst, Miss North Carolina USA 2019, as she was crowned the new Miss USA by Miss USA 2018, Sarah Rose Summers on May 2, 2019. Frank L. Szelwach Miss Universe Organization

    Aside from the coveted crown she’d worked for years to earn, she also held a long list of other titles she was famously known for: special correspondent for Extra TV, global impact ambassador for Dress for Success, attorney and USC track and field athlete — just to name a few.

    In the book, Kryst opened up about her reign and the trials and tribulations she faced before, during and after her tenure as Miss USA, including dealing with imposter syndrome, online bullying and the pressure to be perfect.

    “While her intention had been to write a book about a distinct period in her life — balancing her work as Miss USA, an attorney and an Extra correspondent — she also gave a behind-the-scenes look into the minds, thoughts, feelings and emotions of a woman battling and managing depression,” Simpkins wrote.

    Former Miss USA Cheslie Kryst interviewing Oprah during her time as a special correspondent for Extra TV .
    Former Miss USA Cheslie Kryst interviewing Oprah during her time as a special correspondent for Extra TV . Courtesy of The LEPR Agency

    The story had been in the works since 2021 — the same year she first published a piece about her reign and the reality of turning 30 — and her mother was determined to see it through for her daughter, to share her life and death.

    “It feels like closure because I know it’s something she wanted,” Simpkins told CharlotteFive. “I had not ever in my life written a book. I had no idea what the process was like, and so I didn’t know what to expect. But some days, it felt like I was pushing a boulder uphill by myself so at this point, honestly, it feels like closure. It was the last wish that she left for me that I was still working on.”

    The two had a very close relationship, so much so that they were also best friends.

    “We would talk all the time anyway … but when she would come home, it’s like we were inseparable,” Simpkins said. “We could sit and have a very serious heart-to-heart conversation about relationships, about faith, and we could shift gears and rewatch “The Devil Wears Prada” and laugh until tears were coming, you know, as we’re reciting every word.

    “Like, I miss that connection. It felt mutual. Like she had someone who just got her, and I had someone who just got me, and so I miss that.”

    Though Simpkins knew her daughter had been working on a book, she hadn’t seen the manuscript until after she passed.

    “There weren’t any surprises in the book, by way of experiences. But there were some things that I learned regarding her deep emotion,” she said. “There’s probably only one part of the book that when I first read it, it really kind of broke my heart and that was, in the beginning when she was talking about meeting her stylist … about wearing suits and and you know, how that got her choked up.”

    After winning Miss USA, Kryst left the stylist meeting feeling defeated about finding a common ground on a wardrobe that could work for appearances but also felt true to who she was.

    “I struggled with thinking I wasn’t good enough for the role I’d earned, that I would never measure up to the perfection I assumed the other fifty contestants were capable of and would have displayed if given the chance,” she wrote in the book. “The constant inner voice repeating ‘never enough’ was compounded by the treatment from the world seeming to confirm my fear.”

    That feeling of “imposter syndrome” wasn’t just one that she mentioned feeling in a performance, competition or interview, she went on to say, but something she dealt with in everyday life, too, especially being a young Black woman.

    Cheslie Kryst, formerly Miss North Carolina USA, served as the longest reigning Miss USA titleholder in history.
    Cheslie Kryst, formerly Miss North Carolina USA, served as the longest reigning Miss USA titleholder in history. Courtesy of Blue Method Films

    “I love that Cheslie touched on that in a very transparent way in the book, because it is something that we all as Black women have to manage,” her mother told CharlotteFive. “There’s an expectation that I think rests on the shoulders of each of us that when you step forward, you represent all of us … and she felt that.”

    But despite the backlash and bullying, she still presented her bubbly personality — online and off.

    “A big part [of her legacy] was just how authentic she was, and I think that’s what made her relatable, and made so many people feel like they could connect with her,” Simpkins said.

    “A part of who she was that I absolutely adored, was the depth and breadth of her knowledge … so you never felt you never felt like you weren’t enlightened or important or valued when you talk to her .… it’s one of the reasons why, in my opinion, so many people consider Cheslie to be their best friend — because when they would talk to her, whether they were asking her advice about law school or pageant dresses or places to go in New York, like, she could engage with you. And I love that about her.”

    ‘A supporter, not a savior’

    With the new book, she hopes it’ll not only help carry out her daughter’s legacy but also be a reminder of the importance of mental health, which she now calls her life’s mission.

    “At Cheslie’s funeral, I kept thinking, ‘I have to survive this because my family shouldn’t have to bury me this soon after losing Cheslie,’ Simpkins wrote in her portion of the memoir.

    “I had to keep going. My husband needed me, my children needed me and Cheslie needed me. She needed me to tell her story and save lives.”

    The family of Chelsie Kryst, center, are escorted after the memorial service to honor her life at Elevation Blakeney on Friday, February 18, 2022 in Charlotte, NC. Kryst, who was beloved in the Charlotte area and worked closely with local charities such as Dress for Success, was secretly suffering from depression and died by suicide on January 30, 2022 in New York City.
    The family of Cheslie Kryst, center, are escorted after the memorial service to honor her life at Elevation Blakeney February 18, 2022 in Charlotte. Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez mrodriguez@charlotteobserver.com

    After reading the manuscript, Simpkins thought, “This is the only book my baby will ever write, and her words, her honesty in sharing her emotional and mental state, balanced with her vulnerability, are going to save lives. People will read this and relate to her.”

    As detailed in the book, Kryst struggled with depression for years.

    “When Cheslie passed, there were so many people who would declare that they couldn’t believe it … that someone like Cheslie could be struggling with depression,” Simpkins told CharlotteFive.

    “So I hope that in reading the book they learn that sometimes there’s a difference between a person you see and the way they feel … and that’s why I declare all the time, just be kind, because you don’t know what people are going through.”

    ‘By the time you read this’ book tour

    In honor of the release of “By the Time You Read This,” Simpkins will be hosting two book signing events with a Q&A session in the Charlotte area. The first launch event will be at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 25 at the Barnes & Noble Arboretum location, followed by another at 6 p.m. May 2 in Rock Hill at York Technical College. At 6:30 p.m. on Friday, May 3, Simpkins will be a guest speaker at a National Alliance on Mental Illness Charlotte benefit at Southern Pecan Gulf Coast Kitchen.

    Net proceeds from book sales will go toward the Cheslie C. Kryst Foundation, founded in her honor.

    “I knew that I wanted someplace for those funds to go, that would continue Cheslies legacy of giving, so that is what this foundation is going to do and I’m just so proud of it,” Simpkins told CharlotteFive.

    “I cannot wait until we are able to send our first check out to an organization that is out there doing the work and needs the support so they can help our youth and teens with their mental health and well being. I just cannot wait for that day.”

    Find more information about the events and where to purchase the memoir online at bythetimeyoureadthisbook.com.

    This story was originally published April 25, 2024, 6:00 AM.

    Related stories from Charlotte Observer

    Chyna Blackmon is a service journalism reporter for The Charlotte Observer. A native of the Carolinas, she grew up in Columbia, SC, and graduated from Queens University of Charlotte. She’s also worked in local television news in Charlotte, NC, and Richmond, VA.
    Support my work with a digital subscription

    [ad_2]

    Chyna Blackmon

    Source link

  • “How I Became an Autism Advocate After My Own Mid-Life Diagnosis”

    “How I Became an Autism Advocate After My Own Mid-Life Diagnosis”

    [ad_1]

    As an AuDHD woman (autistic with ADHD) who was diagnosed later in life, I know what it’s like to be discriminated against and exploited, especially in the workplace, for my differences. It was those demeaning experiences that inspired me to pursue a Ph.D. to better understand invisible disabilities in professional settings, with the goal of helping organizations celebrate neurodivergent individuals of all abilities.

    Earning my doctoral degree was no easy feat. From navigating social interactions and managing sensory sensitivities to coping with a learning disability, every step felt like a battle against the odds. I came face-to-face many times with imposter syndrome, intrusive thoughts, and task paralysis.

    But with unwavering support from mentors and peers – along with my own inner strength and a desire to make a change – this journey ultimately become one of triumph, resilience, and unrelenting advocacy.

    [Read: “Could I Be Autistic, Too?” Signs of Autism in Women with ADHD]

    A Novel Tool to Improve Workplace Inclusivity

    During my Ph.D. research, I became acutely aware of the lack of understanding and support for individuals with invisible disabilities in the workplace and its consequences. Too often, stigma and stereotypes prevent talented individuals from reaching their full potential, leaving them feeling marginalized and misunderstood instead.

    Determined to address this issue, I developed a tool for employers called the Workplace Invisible Disability Experience (WIDE) survey. This survey aims to assess the experiences of employees with invisible disabilities in the workplace by shedding light on the challenges they face and identifying areas for improvement. By collecting data and raising awareness, the WIDE survey empowers organizations to recognize and address the barriers that prevent a thriving and inclusive environment.

    Advocacy’s Many Forms

    Advocacy is not just about raising awareness; it’s also about action. That’s why I took the initiative to establish a disability ERG (Employee Resource Group) in my workplace. This group serves as a platform for disabled employees to come together, share their experiences, and advocate for positive change. Through awareness campaigns, training sessions, and policy initiatives, our ERG works to create more inclusive and accommodating workplaces for all.

    Education is another crucial aspect of advocacy, which is why I am committed to continuing to educate and inform others about invisible disabilities. Through speaking engagements, workshops, and training sessions, I aim to dispel myths, challenge stereotypes, and promote a culture of acceptance and understanding.

    [Read: How I’m Improving the Workplace for Adults with Autism]

    I am most excited to be a speaker at AutisticaPalooza, a multi-day conference that delves into a diverse range of topics by and for autistic women. By sharing my own experiences and insights, I hope to inspire others to embrace neurodiversity and work toward a more inclusive future.

    A Transformative Journey

    Completing my Ph.D. was just the beginning of my transformative journey of self-discovery, resilience, and empowerment. As I continue to advocate for change, I am driven by a vision of a world where individuals with invisible disabilities are valued, respected, and empowered to reach their full potential. I am confident that together, we can create a more inclusive and equitable world for all.

    Autism Advocacy: Next Steps

    SUPPORT ADDITUDE
    Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

    [ad_2]

    Shreya Rane

    Source link

  • Here’s What To Eat For The Sake Of Your Mental Health

    Here’s What To Eat For The Sake Of Your Mental Health

    [ad_1]

    Hannah Frye is the Assistant Beauty Editor at mindbodygreen. She has a B.S. in journalism and a minor in women’s, gender, and queer studies from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Hannah has written across lifestyle sections including health, wellness, sustainability, personal development, and more.

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • “ADHD Lessons from Ultrarunning: Accept Help and Support Your Needs”

    “ADHD Lessons from Ultrarunning: Accept Help and Support Your Needs”

    [ad_1]

    For more than 10 years, I ran trail ultramarathons of 35 to 100 miles. I was decent at it, and I loved running those distances. But I’ll tell it straight: Long runs are hard, even if you’re trained for them.

    Distance runners anticipate difficulties and know to support themselves in any way possible to get to the finish line. It’s a given – they don’t think twice about it and don’t get hung up on it, either.

    In our daily lives, especially as folks with ADHD, we fall into the trap of thinking we don’t need help, or that we’re wimpy if we accept help or create supportive structures for ourselves. Others don’t need this, we think.

    Here’s that flawed logic applied to running: Why does the newbie runner need to stop and rest every half mile? The ultrarunner can go many miles before needing to stop. Therefore, the newbie must be a wimp, or worse, incapable.

    A non-runner might assume this of a newbie, but ultrarunners know this couldn’t be farther from the truth. An early runner has needs, just as a later-stage runner does. Needs are needs.

    [Read: Silence Your Harshest Critic — Yourself]

    Once five miles becomes easy-peasy for the early runner, they realize they only arrived at that point because they gave themselves what they needed to be someone who can run five miles. With that experience, they’ll readily tell the next newbie runner to make sure to stop and rest the legs and heart every half mile. It’s the only way to get to five miles.

    Needs are Needs: When Ultrarunning Meets Real Life

    This logic – of supporting our needs to become who we want to be – applies to anything and everything. If we accept a tutor to help us, then eventually we’ll be someone who got through a class instead of one who didn’t. If we fully show up to therapy or coaching, then we eventually become someone who tackles the challenges in front of us instead of skirting them. If we externalize the content of our brains with systems, we become someone who forgets less rather than someone who continues to forget.

    Guess who all these early-stage self-supporters become? People who make inroads into becoming the kind of person who has wins, and those wins beget more wins. The more support, the more wins.

    I got to the point in my abilities as a runner that I would have said yes, without a second thought, if you asked me to run a 50-miler the following weekend.

    When you read the prior sentence, did you picture me as someone who was so trained that I needed a lot less than an early-stage runner? I’ll let you in on a secret: I was a running diva. I had far more available at hand than an early-stage runner could imagine was possible. The more experienced I got, the more I learned how much support was out there to take for myself — and I took it.

    [Read: My 25 Rules for Life — a Practical Cure for ADHD Shame and Stagnation]

    I say this all the time to people: Do you think successful people have more support or less? They have far more, and it’s because they’re more likely to ask for it and give it to themselves.

    Why would it be any different for us when the road to success means we’ll need to support our ADHD and account for our needs?

    It wouldn’t.

    The Long Haul with ADHD

    Remembering to hand in work, showing up on time at work, getting out of a rabbit hole, staying on task, organizing our workspace, regulating our emotions — these are our daily five-mile runs.

    Graduating from school, nabbing a promotion at work, becoming an accomplished person, becoming a person who has practiced options for staying calm in stressful situations — these are our long-distance runs.

    The only way to become a champion — in anything — is to give ourselves what we need to push through. As you run your own race, take any and all support without question, without apology. That’s a champion mindset.

    ADHD Life Lessons: Next Steps

    SUPPORT ADDITUDE
    Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

    [ad_2]

    Shreya Rane

    Source link

  • COCONUT WACKY CAKE

    COCONUT WACKY CAKE

    [ad_1]

    Wacky Cakes are also known as Depression Era Cakes since they don’t use any eggs, butter, or milk. This Coconut Wacky Cake is one of our favorites!

    Coconut Wacky CakeCoconut Wacky Cake

    If you are a fan of Wacky Cakes, you will want to try this chocolate version. It’s simple and delicious.

    ❤️WHY WE LOVE THIS RECIPE

    Coconut wacky cake has no eggs, butter or milk in the cake and it still comes out as a delicious dessert.  It does not seem possible that this cake is so good without those items.  It seems to have originated sometime during the great depression when ingredients were so hard to obtain.  I make this cake in a 9 x 9 cake pan but you can double it if you want a bigger cake.  It keeps well in a cool spot.  I love that you don’t have to add eggs and it is so easy to make.

    🍴KEY INGREDIENTS

    • All Purpose Flour
    • Granulated Sugar
    • Baking soda
    • Salt
    • Water
    • Vegetable Oil
    • Vanilla Extract
    • White Vinegar
    • Shredded Sweetened Coconut
    • Frosting Ingredients
    • Powdered sugar
    • Butter
    • Vanilla Extract
    • Water
    • Shredded Sweetened Coconut

    🍽️HOW TO MAKE

    This cake is very simple and super easy to make! The frosting is sweet, but very good and a little of this cake goes a long way. That is why we love that it’s made in a 9X9, it’s perfect for a small gathering.

    Step 1
    Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.  Add the water, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and white vinegar and stir well with a spoon. 

    Step 2
    Fold in the coconut.  Spray a 9 x 9 baking dish with cooking spray and spread batter in dish.  Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven 30 to 35 minutes until the center tests done.  Let cool and add frosting below.

    Frosting Instructions:
    Beat first four ingredients with a mixer until of spreading consistency. Fold in coconut with a spoon.

    Notes: I added another 1/4 cup of toasted, shredded coconut sprinkled over the top but this is optional.  To toast the 1/4 cup of shredded coconut, spread on a saucer and microwave for about a minute and a half until toasted checking to make sure it is not burning after one minute.

    ⭐TIP

    We use sweetened coconut in this recipe but you can easily use unsweetened if you prefer.

    OTHER COCONUT RECIPES

    If you know our website you know we are a huge fan of coconut cakes and have many on our site. Here are a few of our most popular!

    • Easy Sour Cream Coconut Cake – This cake is our most popular for a reason! Yes, it’s made with a mix, but you would never know and it’s the perfect addition to any gathering. It’s especially popular for Easter and Christmas!
    • Do Nothing Cake – This cake is super easy to make, you don’t even need a mixer! It’s an excellent old fashioned recipe.
    • Coconut Cake with Coconut Frosting – This is a classic for a reason and probably a cake your Grandmother made!
    • Lazy Daisy Oatmeal Cake – This cake has a delicious coconut frosting and it’s a classic for a reason! It is the perfect potluck cake!

    STORING, REHEATING & SERVING SIZE

    We store this covered on the counter and a 9X9 is about 9 servings.

    Coconut Wacky Cake

    Anne Walkup

    This Coconut Wacky cake is so easy and it’s a depression era cake. It has no milk, butter or eggs and it still comes out delicious! Made in a 9X9 and super easy!

    Prep Time 5 minutes

    Cook Time 30 minutes

    Total Time 35 minutes

    Course Cake, Dessert

    Cuisine American

    Cake Ingredients:

    • 1 cup all-purpose flour
    • 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 3/4 cup water
    • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
    • 1/2 cup shredded coconut

    Frosting Ingredients:

    • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
    • 2 tablespoons butter softened
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 2 to 3 tablespoons water
    • 1/2 cup shredded coconut

    Cake Directions:

    • Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Add the water, vegetable oil, vanilla extract and white vinegar and stir well with a spoon. Fold in the coconut.

    • Spray a 9 x 9 baking dish with cooking spray and spread batter in dish. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven 30 to 35 minutes until the center tests done. Let cool and add frosting.

    I added another 1/4 cup of toasted, shredded coconut sprinkled over the top but this is optional. To toast the 1/4 cup of shredded coconut, spread on a saucer and microwave for about a minute and a half until toasted checking to make sure it is not burning after one minute.

    Keyword Coconut Wacky Cake

    Let us know by commenting below!

    Follow us on Pinterest!

    Are you reading our magazine?

    Join 1000’s of others and start a subscription today. Full of new recipes, inspiring stories, country living, and much more.

    © The Southern Lady Cooks photos and text – All rights reserved. No copying, posting on other sites, or other uses allowed without written permission of the copyright holder.

    [ad_2]

    Anne Walkup

    Source link

  • A Renewed Call for Research: Study on Medical Efficacy of Cannabis for Patients Treated for Depression – Cannabis Business Executive – Cannabis and Marijuana industry news

    A Renewed Call for Research: Study on Medical Efficacy of Cannabis for Patients Treated for Depression – Cannabis Business Executive – Cannabis and Marijuana industry news

    [ad_1]





    A Renewed Call for Research: Study on Medical Efficacy of Cannabis for Patients Treated for Depression – Cannabis Business Executive – Cannabis and Marijuana industry news





























    [ad_2]

    Julian Wichmann

    Source link

  • Grammy-nominated artist Marcus King on his guitar being his salvation during his mental health journey:

    Grammy-nominated artist Marcus King on his guitar being his salvation during his mental health journey:

    [ad_1]

    Grammy-nominated musician Marcus King’s new album, “Mood Swings,” explores the darkest days of his mental health journey and the hope he’s found through therapy and music after overcoming depression, body image issues and abandonment.

    King is a fourth-generation musician whose first memory growing up in Greenville, South Carolina, was opening his dad’s guitar case. For King, the guitar feels like an extension of himself.

    “‘Cause it was my like original safety blanket, to escape everything,” he said. “Music is all I really had to provide any kind of peace and calm waters within this storm going on in my brain and in my heart.”

    King said his mother left when he was young, triggering abandonment issues.

    “We’ve got a better relationship now,” he said. “But that’s pretty difficult for a young boy.”

    King then lost several family members and began to wrestle with his body image.

    “My heart aches for him,” King said about his younger self. “His self-confidence was so diminished by so many people.”

    By age 14, he started playing gigs. With his long hair and hippie outfits, King felt like a high school outcast. So he quit school his junior year.

    “I got on the road as soon as I could,” King said. “I just, right away, got really into the hustle of it all.”

    Getting started, King said he was using a pseudonym in his email to book himself and the band.

    “I used a little smoke and mirror tactics,” he said.

    marcus-king.png
    Marcus King talks about his new album, “Mood Swings,” and his journey through music.

    CBS News


    Now, the 28-year-old has built a reputation as a mesmerizing live performer, which he said is a result of throwing himself into his craft.

    “I’ve always been deeply insecure, so I’m a little perfectionist when it comes to my art,” King said. “You can’t deny me if I’m the best at it.”

    He released three acclaimed albums leading the Marcus King Band. In 2020, he earned a Grammy nomination with his solo debut, “El Dorado.”

    But his demons caught up with him.

    “I was just in a really rough spot. I had just gone through a really bad breakup, and I was just, I don’t know how to put this. It was just a series of benders, you know, followed by, you know, deep, deep depression,” he said. “I was hurting so bad that it was difficult to perform.”

    King was near rock bottom when he met Briley Hussey at a gig. He said she helped to save him.

    “What I saw was a woman who wasn’t gonna tolerate any nonsense,” King said. “She made me fight for it, fight for her.”

    The two married last year, while King was working on his new album, “Mood Swings.” King worked with legendary producer Rick Rubin on the album.

    Rubin urged King to make mental health a writing partner. King said that took him into the “basement of his soul.”

    “There was a lot of acceptance and a lot of just reckoning with, you know, my guilt and the way that I behaved in past relationships,” he said. “I’m the problem. Call is coming from inside the house.”

    King said for so long, he was afraid to talk about his mental health.

    “I didn’t want people to get the wrong impression of me, I didn’t want people to say, ‘Wow, this guy is just a little nuts.’”         

    Now, King feels blessed and “absolved,” but he knows that his mental health is something he has to take day by day.

    “I always say I’m in remission from depression because it comes back around,” he said.

    But with meditation and medication, King said he’s able to keep it in check. Plus, he’ll always have his music.

    “I mean it’s great therapy,” King said. “But real therapy in addition is always best. I found that out later.”

    Anthony Mason


    Anthony Mason

    Anthony Mason is senior culture and senior national correspondent for CBS News. He has been a frequent contributor to “CBS Sunday Morning,” and is the former co-host for “CBS This Morning: Saturday” and “CBS This Morning.”

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • “It Just Takes One Good Friend to Change the Course of a Life”

    “It Just Takes One Good Friend to Change the Course of a Life”

    [ad_1]

    Making friends during adolescence is akin to navigating a labyrinth filled with twists, turns — and the potential for profound connections. For individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the journey toward friendship often presents its own set of unique challenges and opportunities. Individuals with ASD possess intelligence, compassion, and a propensity to be misunderstood, often leading to experiences of bullying and social isolation. It’s no wonder that depression rates in the autistic community are higher compared to those in neurotypical groups. For me, this reality underscores the importance of genuine friendships — even just one good friend is life-changing.

    In 2014, I experienced a heartbreaking loss when my dear friend, Erin, essentially a sister to me, tragically took her own life at age 17. Erin was a remarkable individual filled with spunk, love, and empathy. Despite her supportive family, try-anything attitude, and impressive musical and culinary talents (her pasta dishes were truly legendary!), Erin struggled with social challenges and making friends. She was often excluded from weekend plans and parties, and she lacked a peer confidante to share her joys and passions. The complexities of social interaction, so effortless to neurotypical individuals, were often a puzzle for Erin — a reality she lived daily and felt deeply.

    Making Friends with Autism Spectrum Disorder

    Out of the tragedy of her death emerged Erin’s Hope for Friends, a non-profit organization dedicated to fostering friendships among individuals with ASD. At Erin’s Hope for Friends, we believe in the profound impact of genuine connections. True friends accept you for who you are, quirks and all, providing a sanctuary free from judgment. Finding friends who embrace each individual’s differences can be transformative, instilling a sense of belonging and confidence.

    [Self-Test: Is My Child Autistic?]

    Erin’s Hope for Friends offers dynamic social programs known as e’s Clubs virtually and in Atlanta, Georgia, and Lexington, Kentucky. These clubs provide a welcoming, safe space for autistic teens and young adults (ages 12 to 24) to connect and engage in various activities tailored to their interests. From Foosball to karaoke to crafts to video games, e’s Clubs offer diverse activities to foster interaction and camaraderie. If you visit a club, it only takes a very short period to witness the joy they create. Currently serving more than 500 members annually, our clubs continue to grow and thrive.

    The potential for Erin’s Hope for Friends and e’s Clubs — and other groups like it —  is limitless. By expanding our reach nationwide, we aim to significantly impact the autistic community by challenging stereotypes, promoting neurodiversity acceptance, and ultimately creating a space for our members to make life-changing connections.

    If you’re passionate about supporting individuals with autism in their quest for friendship and acceptance, I encourage you to check out Erin’s Hope for Friends or another similar organization. Together, we can celebrate abilities, challenge societal norms, and empower individuals to navigate the landscape of friendship with confidence and joy. After all, it just takes one good friend to change the course of a life.

    Autism in the Workplace: Next Steps

    SUPPORT ADDITUDE
    Thank you for reading ADDitude. To support our mission of providing ADHD education and support, please consider subscribing. Your readership and support help make our content and outreach possible. Thank you.

    [ad_2]

    Melanie Wachsman

    Source link

  • These are the 10 worst U.S. states to live in for your mental health, according to a new study

    These are the 10 worst U.S. states to live in for your mental health, according to a new study

    [ad_1]

    Overall well-being is influenced by your financial standing, relationships, work, sense of purpose, and safety, but where you live and your community’s health care system also play a vital role. In an analysis published last month, Universal Drugstore, an online pharmacy, ranked the best and worst states to live in for mental health, after evaluating dozens of data points including the prevalence of mental illness and the cost of care. 

    Montana came in number one for the best place to live for mental health, scoring 8.06 out of 10. The state had the lowest number by population of “mentally unhealthy adults” who cannot afford care, and residents took the second-least mental health sick days in 2022. 

    By contrast, Nevada is ranked the worst state for mental health with a score of 2.06 out of 10. The Silver State placed in the top 5 for several measurements including the highest number of mental health sick days taken and the most youth reporting depressive episodes. Nevada also has one of the lowest ratios of psychologists to residents across the nation.

    Broken down further, South Dakota, ranked fourth as the best state for mental health, had the fewest reported mental health sick days (3), while West Virginia and Louisiana, ranked 34 and 44, reported the most (6). Adults in New Jersey, ranked 16th, have the lowest rates of mental illness diagnoses (16%), while adults residing in Utah, ranked 25th, have the highest rates of mental illness (27%). Oregon, in 50th place, ranked the second worst state for mental health with a score of 2.89 out of 10, tied with New Mexico, ranked 42nd, for the nation’s highest percentage of youth experiencing depressive episodes (19%); the lowest is in Washington, D.C. (11%). D.C., ranked 13th, is also home to the highest proportion of psychologists compared to Alabama, Maine, Georgia, and Louisiana, which have seven per 100,000 residents. 

    Researchers used data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Kaiser Family Foundation, Mental Health America, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to compile the ranking. They compared each state’s ratio of psychologists to residents, the average number of mental health sick days taken, the prevalence of mental illness for adults and youth, the number of beds available and mental health facilities, and the cost of prescription drugs. 

    Worst states to live in for mental health: 

    1. Nevada
    2. Oregon 
    3. Oklahoma 
    4. Arizona 
    5. Washington 
    6. Texas 
    7. Alabama
    8. Louisiana 
    9. Georgia 
    10. New Mexico 

    Best States to live in for mental health:

    1. Montana
    2. Vermont
    3. Massachusetts
    4. South Dakota
    5. Rhode Island
    6. Illinois
    7. Wisconsin
    8. North Dakota
    9. Nebraska and Iowa (tied)
    10. Arkansas

    [ad_2]

    Alexa Mikhail

    Source link