Don't worry, be happy this month by Sarah Orr health page editor October is the month that many of us think as exciting, fun, and beauti ful. Fall has arrived, and the leaves are a brilliant array of crimsons, or anges, yellows, and browns. Hal loween, costume parties, candy, and fall break are all things Behrend stu dents look forward to with great an ticipation. However, the personal counseling office is dedicating the month of Oc tober to depression awareness and screenings. This condition is very serious and more common than many realize. Occasionally every one, especially college students can suffer from a bout of the blues. For some, sadness can be more exten sive, which could lead to depression. Depression is a common mood disorder that affects the mind and body simultaneously. Approxi mately 17 to 20 million Americans develop a particular form of depres sion each year. It can be caused by a myriad of factors such as an imbal ance of neurotransmitters in the brain. medical illnesses, negative ex periences associated with loss or stress, genetics, or personality traits. The symptoms can range from con tinual feelings of emptiness, changes in appetite and weight, oversleeping or inability to sleep, to sluggishness, restlessness, problems concentrat ing, feelings of guilt, fatigue, and thoughts of death or suicide. It doesn't take a cataclysmic event to spark the onset of depression. College students are particularly sus ceptible to depression caused by stress. Adjustment issues also plague some when faced with a new situa tion, which can cause a form of de- pression There are different types of depres sion. One form is called dysthmia, Pay attention to your body language by Ryan Anthony staff writer You have two exams on Monday, a paper due Tuesday, work on Wednesday, work and a group project on Thursday. and another exam on Friday. It is now Sunday night. Did I mention you have a group meeting to be at in five minutes? On top of all of that your girlfriend is not quite so sure she likes you any more, your car needs new brakes and tires for the winter, your parents want to visit next weekend, someone from work wants you to cover a shift, your girlfriend decides she likes you again, your intramural team wins its cham pionship, your roommates are having a party this weekend, and your cousin gets married. Welcome to the week of a college student. The stress can be over whelming, but you can learn how to deal with it. Busy schedules are part of what our tuition gets us. A million different things can happen to someone dur ing a week and a million different people will handle these things in a million different ways. The best way to cope with life's obstacles is to iden tify how you react to them. Stress is an integral part of life. It is the motivating reason for getting us out of bed every morning. Anxi ety, on the other hand, is the uneasi ness and apprehension we feel be cause of stress. Any number of cir cumstances can lead to anger or plea sure. Every so often we feel relief when we hear an exam or assignment is pushed back a day. Friends or other familiar events can bring about excitement. Stress, anxiety, anger, pleasure, and excitement are a tiny fraction of the emotions we go through in a day. Almost anyone can describe how they "feel" when they feel these emotions, but few are in tune with what goes on inside their bodies at these times. Just as we "feel" certain ways dur ing certain emotions, our bodies also feel a certain way too. Recognition of the way your body reacts is a good way of becoming a more relaxed and focused individual. Most people do not realize it, but it is possible for you to control how you physically and mentally feel. "The way we think determines how we feel," according to Behrend per sonal counselor, Allison Parr-Plasha. If a person has a constant negative attitude about himself or herself, they PHOTO BY JEFF HANKEY The Personal Counseling Office is offering depression screenings this month to raise awareness of the disease. which is characterized, by a milder, chronic depressive state lasting two or more years. Another type is bi polar depression, which is the de pressed phase of bipolar disorder. In this particular form, there are both extreme high and low mood swings. The last type is seasonal affective disorder. This depression follows seasonal rhythms; symp toms will occur in the winter and decrease in the spring and summer months. Depression is an illness that can are obviously going to eventually convince themselves that this atti tude is true. Conversely, if one holds him or herself in high regard, then this person will tend to feel and behave in a way that projects this opinion. Our bodies contain many clues to how we feel and even more clues to how to feel better. Accord ing to Parr-Plasha, the key for most people is awareness. One of the biggest challenges Parr-Plasha faces, she says, is get ting students to slow down enough to realize where their problems are focused inside their bodies. Stu dents need to take a few extra min utes each day to focus on their feel ings, whether they are positive or negative. Students need to pay more attention to what their bodies are telling them. Our bodies feel the way they do for reasons. If some thing is not right, we need to be able to identify what it is in order to make it better. Emotions locate themselves in the body in a number of ways. Accord ing to Parr-Plasha, everybody's body holds emotions in different places. She suggests this exercise as a way of locating where in your body certain feelings hide them selves. First, close your eyes and relax. Think of a specific topic that is trou bling you or that is on your mind. Then concentrate on only that topic for the next 15 seconds. After this time of concentration, begin to re alize how your body feels, starting with your head. Where can you feel that thought? Is it in your temples or head or neck? Many people feel upset stomachs or back pain. Nau sea and sweating can even be brought about by just focusing on a single thought. Once you become aware of where your body harbors a specific emotion, you can then be gin to treat it. Parr-Plasha mentioned several common emotions and symptoms that go along with them. If your neck and back are constantly tense and sore, you might be facing more stress than usual or you could be feeling angry. Illness, ulcers, and lack of concentration have also been known to accompany stress. After becoming aware of where your body stores these emotions, you can begin therapy. The best remedy for most emotion-related ailments is relaxation. Parr-Plasha be treated, but it can he costly. Annu ally, Americans spends about $5O bil lion to treat different forms of depres sion. Treatments available include an tidepressant medications, psycho therapy, electroconvulsive therapy, and self-help groups. A person may try various treatment options before finding the most successful method. Psychotherapy is sometimes re ferred to as talk therapy and employs techniques to create new ways of thinking, improving interpersonal re lations, or resolving conflicts that suggests practicing breathing exercises a physical activity such as working because most Americans do not real- out oryoga. These activities delintely ize they do not breath properly. Chang- will help you get more in tune with ing breathing techniques can allow your body. more oxygen to the brain and rest of r II Ii 100 Mile Mania li If you are inspired II by these students II II and wish to begin II exercising, here are a !I few tips to keep in I I mind before you li li start. I Q: Why did you start? A: I started to get into better shape. Q: Do you think that you will complete 100 miles? A: Yes, I think that I will reach my goal. Q: What do you hope to gain from the program? A: I need motivation to workout. aM NMI - could stem from problems during childhood. Electrocovulsive therapy is usually used for those with severe cases of depression as well as those who are unable to handle medication. It is an effective and safe procedure, contrary to popular opinion. Self help groups arc effective by provid ing support for people with depres sion as well as friends and family. Depression screening took place outside of Bruno's Cafe on Wednes day from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. The personal counseling office sponsored II any student wants to seek help Q: Why did you start? A: It's a way to stay healthy and to stay motivated to exercise. Q: Do you think that you will complete 100 miles? A: I think that there is a slim chance. Q: What do you hope to gain from the program? A: I hope to become healthier, gain more muscle mass, and lose some weight. Ryan Brewer Q: Why did you start? A: I started for the challenge. Q: Do you think that you will completeloo miles? A: Yes, I hope so. Q: What do you hope to gain from the program? A: I want to be buff. i\, k:)}' Allison Jawdy Miles: Sundeep Bhatia the screenings. If any Behrend stu dent feels they are having a pro longed period of sadness or having trouble dealing with an issue, they can contact Sue Daley or Allison Parr-Plasha for appointment to dis cuss a course of action to remedy the situation. If you notice a friend ex periencing difficulties, you many want to refer them to the personal counseling office. personal counseling office at (x)6164 to schedule and appointment or email Parr-Plasha at alp9@psu.edu or Sue Daley at sxd2 1 epsii rdti. Update • Start with a 15-minute low intensity warm up. • Be sure to stretch • Drink plenty of water during your exercise routine • Don't strain yourself. • Be sure to incorporate a cool down Miles: Miles:
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