What You Need to Know about Depression to Control Your Destiny

Almost everyone gets the blues from time to time - that feeling of sadness or grief that usually results from unpleasant life experiences. 

While many people refer to the blues as depression, however, true clinical depression is as different from the blues as pneumonia is from a head cold.

Blues and Sadness

Blues is a temporary and usually normal reaction to stressful life situations. Most cases don't involve physical symptoms, loss of self-esteem, or suicidal thoughts, and the negative state usually passes within a few hours or days. 

Similarly, sadness is an appropriate reaction to bereavement, financial and personal problems, the realization that life is finite, and the symptoms of serious disease. But sadness becomes depression when it continues for weeks or months and interferes with everyday living.

Symptoms of Depression

To be clear, depression is an intense, pervasive and long-lasting disorder of mood that attacks the body as well as the mind, often resulting in serious problems in work, social, and physical functioning. Symptoms of depression often include disturbances with sleep, appetite and body weight, energy, concentration, and sexual functioning. 

There is frequently excessive guilt, feelings of worthlessness, loss of interest or pleasure in activities, and, in severe cases, thoughts of, or attempts, at suicide. Unfortunately, some people don't recognize depression for the serious illness it is. They think of it as a personality flaw, a sign of weakness, a character defect, or, perhaps, a temporary blue mood.

Clinical Depression is an Illness

The fact is, clinical depression is an illness, not a weakness or a passing blue mood. Depressed people cannot simply "snap out of it" or just "pull themselves together," any more than a diabetic can merely snap out of a blood sugar imbalance. And, without appropriate treatment, symptoms can last for months or even years. 

Some depressions are the result of a chemical imbalance and may only be treated by anti-depressant medication. Some require psychotherapy, and still others a combination of methods.

  

Treating Clinical Depression

The good news is that more than eighty percent of depression sufferers can be treated successfully. If you or someone you care about is depressed, seek help now by contacting your family doctor or a qualified mental health specialist at (773) 614-3201

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Control Your Destiny by Working Smarter and More Efficiently

As a blogger, you must be organized and your computer must be your best friend and assistant. 

Using your computer efficiently, being organized, and working smarter is the key.

If you can't find an important document, if you forget to make an important phone call, or you forget to pay an important bill on time, you will not only waste time, but it can cost you money.

Here are 7 ways to work smarter and keep this type of stress at a minimum:

1. Keep your desk organized.
Keep your files that you are currently working on close to your desk. I use two file crates that accommodate file folders always nearby. One crate has the folders that I am currently working on while the other crate has the research that I need to support the articles, blogs, and letters that I'm writing at that time.

2. Manage your time wisely.
Break your time down into segments associated with tasks. Here's how to do it. Determine what tasks that need to be completed each week. If you are like me, there are certain tasks that are consistent from week to week such as Phone Calls, Copywriting, Operations (organizing, filing, planning), Meetings, and Accounting. You may have other tasks that may not have to be addressed each week. Lay all this out and associate a segment of time to each task, either 30 minutes or more.

3. Learn keyboard shortcuts.
Here are some shortcuts for using Windows Logo: Start Menu Windows; Windows Logo +R: Run dialog box;  Windows Logo +E: Windows Explorer; Windows key +D  Desktop to foreground ; Alt + Tab: Switch to another running program; Alt + F4: Quit Program; CTRL+ ESC: Opens the Start Menu;  ALT+SPACE: Displays the main System menu; ALT+F4: Closes the current window. 

4. Keep adequate supplies available. Don't have your printer running out of toner when you have an important document that need to be printed immediately. The same goes for ink cartridges. Always keep spares on hand.

6. Don't get caught up in playing games or engaging in idle chit chat. I have two adult acquaintances that hold responsible positions in my community who play games on their computers almost from the time they arrive home to the time they go to bed. Personally, I believe in a life time of personal growth. 

In my opinion this is not the way to do it. I don't do idle text messaging, idle conversation (although I do love good intelligent and invigorating conversation) and I prefer to read for both relaxation and personal growth.

7. Read newspapers and articles online. Almost every print publication has an online version. I use Feedly and Pocket for these purposes.Save it and read periodically during the day. But, to each his own. By the way, there are some print publications that I prefer to have as a physical copy to read while I'm traveling.

To work smart requires you to have the proper mindset. Make it a priority and your will have satisfying results

What are your strategies. Leave your thoughts below.

9 Steps Serious Bloggers Can Use to Increase Reading Speed 50% to 100%

                 Time Your ReadingIf you are like most bloggers and self-employed people, you want to learn how to read fast just to keep current in your industry and to gain valuable information for yourself and to share with others. 

If you read all the available and useful information word for word, you'll wind up spending all your time reading and not have time for anything else.

These 9 Steps for Increasing your Reading Speed will help you to experience reading, not as a chore to be put off as long as you can, but as an enjoyable and satisfying skill as well as another way to take control of your future.

You can learn to read faster by following these 9 steps:

1. Take at least one minute to review the material before reading it. 
First, skim to get a feel of what the piece contains, then the introductory material, section and chapter titles, index, and any other signposts. Next, treat the body of the text as a series of paragraphs, each paragraph being a self-contained unit with his own message to convey.

As soon as you have grasped the message, move immediately onto the next paragraph and repeat the process.

2. Become an active, rather than a passive reader. 
Instead of reading individual words, actively search out the important, descriptive, and meaningful ideas. Don't get bogged down in details. Move rapidly over the material.

3. Develop the knack of concatenation (linking two things together). 
Stop reading one word at a time and develop the habit of joining several words and repeating them as one unit. Learn to read by thought units rather than by individual words. You should take in between four and six words in a single glance.

4. Don't linger or reread words, phrases, or sentences. 
As difficult as it may be to break this non-productive habit, doing so will pay tremendous dividends. One way you can do this is to place a small slip of paper over the lines you have just read.

5. If your time permits, read at least one hour every day. 
Break it up into 20 minute segments, if necessary, and both select your reading materials carefully and find an optimum reading speed. Get rid of distractions and concentrate on what you are reading.

6. Eliminate poor physical habits such as sounding out the words in silent reading. This step doesn't need any further explanation.

7. Watch for the signpost in reading. 
Signposts are words or phrases which tell you in a split second whether there's going to be an abrupt change in the author's trend of thought or whether, on the contrary, the writer is really going to add more details to what is already been said. 

Some of the common turn about signals are: but, despite, on the contrary, however, nonetheless, yet, and rather. When you see these words you know instantaneously that the author is about to introduce a thought that is in opposition to the one he has just stated.

8. While you shouldn't sacrifice comprehension for speed, make a conscious effort to increase your reading speed. Still, make sure you understand what you are reading.

9.Reinforce what you read. At the earliest opportunity, think back on what you learned in your last reading session. Review the important points and any related information relayed by the author.

To make it easy, here are 5 questions you can ask yourself about what you read, What was the piece about? What important information was presented? What, if any, opinions did the writer present? What is your opinion of the piece? Name one element of the piece that makes it stand apart. This procedure helps to firmly implant the information in your memory.

Your Thoughts. Leave your comments below.