Stress and Depression are Intertwined

by Carenda Deonne

When thinking about mental health and how to stay serene in turbulent times, we cannot forget about how stress affects us mentally, physically and emotionally. According to a study at www.MentalHealth.org, 51 percent of adults that felt stressed reported feeling depressed, and 61 percent reported feeling anxious. Of the people that said they had felt stress at some point in their lives, 16 percent had harmed themselves and 32 percent said they had had suicidal thoughts and feelings. Just because a person is dealing with stress doesn't mean something is wrong with them. What is important is how we handle stress and replace bad habits with better ones. One simple way to relieve stress is get sun before 11 a.m. This is important because it will increase levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that affects our mood, cognition and memory. When serotonin is increased, we are more focused, creative and a joy to be around.

A second way to relieve stress is give and receive hugs, because they are so powerful and are an immune booster. They also help to reduce stress and decrease depression, so start hugging.

A third way to relieve stress is by speaking affirmations that shift our energy and mindset to see the bigger picture instead of focusing all our time and energy on the situation we are going through. It helps to see the rainbow through the rain.

When thinking of stressing less, try increasing endurance. When we have bad habits, it weakens our endurance and our ability to be effective. It is dangerous to bottle up stress because it is layered. What people may not understand is that we can look good on the outside, but we also feel things happening inwardly. When we know that something isn’t right, our heart is having palpitations, and we have shortness of breath and are not sleeping well—that is a layered effect.

If we don’t deal with stress, one thing leads to another; they trigger each other and may cause significant effects physically, mentally and emotionally—even death. We must take our mental health seriously. Stressing less, starting now, is something we all must consider a priority.

Speaker, author and Certified Stress Management Life Coach, Gastonia’s Carenda Deonne holds an MA in law. Contact her at 888-473-2221, Admin@CarendaDeonne.com, www.CarendaDeonne.com or @carendadeonne on IG and FB.