For many people, summer is an exciting time. People will go on vacation, work on their gardens, and enjoy the warm
weather. Unfortunately, summer can lead to depression in people. PsychCentral, a website geared towards mental health issues shared 5 things that cause summer depression.

1. Summer seasonal  affective disorder – In approximately 10% of individuals who experience SAD, their bodies work counter intuitive to everyone else. The longer summer days and warmer temperature actually bring about unhappiness.

2. Changes in schedules – Summer for parents with children can bring about a change in mood. Children are out of school and trying to find a babysitter can be stressful and expensive. Furthermore, vacations can cause disruptions in sleep-wake cycles, appetite, and other routines that occur throughout the year.

3.  Body image – Summer equals sun and sand.  It can also equal poor body image.  People tend to feel self-conscious about their bodies.  For them, summer can be a grueling time where they would rather stay covered up.

4. Financial problems – Vacations or even stay-cations can be costly for people. With the rising cost of gas and the already increased costs of hotels/motels during the summer months, summer can be expensive if one wants to travel. For parents of children, this can also mean more money going into groceries. Children also want to play sports or camp and this can increase depression symptoms.

5. Heat – people who live in warm weather locations or areas of the country where the humidity is unbearable can become depressed easier. Staying inside may be boring for some who want to get out but can’t. Buying takeout food which may not be the most healthy could be also done which can lead to depression. 
 
Anyone experiencing depression during the summer months can do a few simple things that can make summer more exciting and get one out of the summer blues.  
 
1.  Get plenty of sleep –  While summer months may have more sunshine during the day, our bodies still need
plenty of sleep.  We need to be rested both physically and mentally.

 2. Exercise – Summer can be fun and give people the opportunity to get out of the house. For those who need something other than the gym, try going out and rollerblading, biking, jogging, rock climbing, or swimming. Mixing up exercise routines can be fun and easy to do in the summer.

3. Be social – Being  around others is always positive and helpful for people dealing with depression.  We as humans are
social creatures and love interacting with one another.  
      
4. Planning something fun  – this does not mean that you have to go on vacation.  However, plan an event that you can do that would be fun and exciting (i.e. family cookout, taking a short trip to someplace nearby that you have always wanted to go). Doing things like this will keep you motivated.

5. Get on a schedule – Begin planning how you want to arrange your summer schedule as soon as possible  to work around the kids being off school, if you are off from work during the summer, or other things that may cause your routine to be off. 
Humans love routines and the quicker you can get on a routine, the better off you will feel.

If you are still experiencing summer blues, don’t hesitate to talk with your medical doctor or mental health provider about your symptoms to determine if any changes need to be made.  
 

Holiday depression and stress facts 

• A number of factors, including unrealistic expectations, financial
  pressures, and too many commitments can cause stress at holiday time.
• Certain people may feel depressed around the winter holidays due toseasonal affective disorder (SAD), sometimes
  referred to as seasonal depression.
• Headaches, excessive drinking, overeating, and insomnia are some of the possible consequences of
  poorly managed holiday stress.
• Those suffering from any type of holiday depression or stress can benefit from increased
  social support during this time of year. Counseling or support groups can also
  be beneficial.
• In addition to being an important step in preventing the symptoms of
  seasonal affective disorder, regular exposure to light that is bright,
  particularly fluorescent lights, significantly improves depression in people
  with SAD during the fall and winter.
• Setting realistic goals and expectations, reaching out to friends, sharing
  tasks with family members, finding inexpensive ways to enjoy yourself, and
  helping others are all ways to help beat holiday stress.

Help is  available to individuals and families 24 hours a day by calling the Counseling
Center’s crisis team at 330-264-9029 - or any of the Counseling Center office
locations.

This guide provides practical advice on how to deal with the effects financial difficulties can have on your physical and mental health is from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Possible Health Risks

Economic turmoil (e.g., increased unemployment, foreclosures, loss of investments and other financial distress) can result in a whole host of negative health effects - both physical and mental. It can be particularly devastating to your emotional and mental well-being. Although each of us is affected differently by economic troubles, these problems can add tremendous stress, which in turn can substantially increase the risk for developing such problems as:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Compulsive Behaviors (over-eating, excessive gambling, spending, etc.)
• Substance Abuse

Warning Signs

It is important to be aware of signs that financial problems may be adversely affecting your emotional or mental well being --or that of someone you care about. These signs include:

• Persistent Sadness/Crying
• Excessive Anxiety
• Lack of Sleep/Constant Fatigue
• Excessive Irritability/Anger
• Increased drinking
• Illicit drug use, including misuse of medications
• Difficulty paying attention or staying focused
• Apathy - not caring about things that are usually important to you
• Not being able to function as well at work, school or home

Managing Stress

If you or someone you care about is experiencing these symptoms, you are not alone. These are common reactions to stress, and there are coping techniques that you can use to help manage it. They include:

• Trying to keep things in perspective - recognize the good aspects of life and retain hope for the future.
• Strengthening connections with family and friends who can provide important emotional support.
• Engaging in activities such as physical exercise, sports or hobbies that can relieve stress and anxiety.
• Developing new employment skills that can provide a practical and highly effective means of coping and directly address financial difficulties.

Getting Help

Even with these coping techniques, however, sometimes these problems can seem overwhelming and you may need additional help to get through "rough patches." Fortunately, there are many people and services that can provide help. These include your:

• Healthcare provider
• Spiritual leader
• School counselor
• Community health clinic
• The Counseling Center - 24 hours per day at (330) 264-9029 

If you need help finding treatment services you can access our Mental Health Services Locator for information and mental health resources near you. Similarly, if you need help with a substance abuse problem you can use our Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator.

Specific help for financial hardship is also available, on issues such as:

• Making Home Affordable
• Foreclosure
• Reemployment
• Financial assistance

There are many other places where you can turn for guidance and support in dealing with the financial problems affecting you or someone you care about. These resources exist at the federal, state and community level and can be found through many sources such as:

• Federal and state government
• Civic associations
• Spiritual groups
• Other sources such as the government services section of a phone book

Suicide Warning Signs

Unemployment and other kinds of financial distress do not "cause" suicide directly, but they can be factors that interact dynamically within individuals and affect their risk for suicide. These financial factors can cause strong feelings such as humiliation and despair, which can precipitate suicidal thoughts or actions among those who may already be vulnerable to having these feelings because of life-experiences or underlying mental or emotional conditions (e.g., depression, bi-polar disorder) that place them at greater risk of suicide.

These are some of the signs you may want to be aware of in trying to determine whether you or someone you care about could be at risk for suicide:

• Threatening to hurt or kill oneself or talking about wanting to hurt or kill oneself
• Looking for ways to kill oneself
• Thinking or fantasying about suicide
• Acting recklessly
• Seeing no reason for living or having no sense of purpose in life

If you or someone you care about are having suicidal thoughts or showing these symptoms SEEK IMMEDIATE HELP. Contact your healthcare provider, mental health crisis center, hospital emergency room or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at1-800-273-TALK (8255) for help.

Other Steps You Can Take

• Acknowledge that economic downturns can be frightening to everyone, but that there are ways of getting through them - from engaging in healthy activities, positive thinking, supportive relationships, to seeking help when needed from health professionals.
  
  
• Encourage community-based organizations and groups to provide increased levels of mental health treatment and support to those who are severely affected by the economy.
  
  
• Work together to help all members of the community build their resiliency and successfully return to healthy and productive lives.

For further information on mental health or substance abuse issues please visit The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

SELF-CARE STRATEGIES FOR EMPLOYERS, EMPLOYEES Brohm gives tips to live happier, stress-free lives 
By AMANDA GALLAGHER Staff Writer Published: January 6, 2013 4:00AM

WOOSTER -- A direct approach to dealing with life's many stressors is key to one local mental health care professional's strategies for self-care.

"It's done by intention and design," said Tom Brohm, a licensed professional clinical counselor and director of Employee Assistance Programs with The SourceOne Group.

Brohm said people make plans for certain aspects of their lives, such as how they're going to send their children to college, but "we don't even have (a) plan for how to care for ourselves."

"We need to write out a plan, (and) look at it on a daily basis," Brohm said.

Brohm offers a program on self-care strategies for employers and their employees that aims to inform people how to take care of themselves when they're experiencing stress from an increased workload or expectations, fatigue, lowered income, lack of employment or other internal or external stressors. Self-care strategies can also be helpful for an individual who has gone back to school, or is trying to balance two jobs along with family pressures, or someone who is dealing with unpredictable events in his or her life.

This first strategy for self-care is setting realistic expectations for oneself.

Brohm explains that it can be beneficial for a person to take the time to understand what he wants to accomplish and actually write down what is important.

"We just move from one pressure cooker to another ... we end up moving away from things that are important to the things that are urgent," said Brohm.

For example, Brohm explained that a person might think he is too busy to take a break or take a vacation from work.

"Do you need to work 80 hours a week? How long do you think a person emotionally ... (and) physically can sustain that?" he said.

Brohm went on to explain that if a person makes a point of managing his money better, he might find that he can work fewer hours each week and be dollars ahead.

One of the key elements of self-care is "to have people in our corner," said Brohm.

Brohm said that everyone needs supportive people in their lives to fill the role of adviser, encourager and even critic.

Another strategy is to eat right. Brohm said there are specific foods that fight stress, such as oatmeal, oranges, spinach, fish, nuts, flaxseed and herbal teas.

"If we eat right, we feel better," he said.

Brohm also recommends laughter, exercise and developing some relaxation techniques for combatting stress.

One technique, called "4x4x4x4," consists of inhaling for four seconds, holding it for four seconds, exhaling through the mouth for four seconds and keeping the lungs exhausted for four seconds, and then repeating the sequence four times.

Brohm also recommends progressive muscle relaxation, which entails tightening and releasing various muscle groups and also, taking time to do nothing.

"(People) don't give themselves a moment to do nothing," said Brohm. "We don't sit in silence anymore. We need to develop that skill set. Let's sit around and laugh and joke, we don't do that -- let's have a meal together."

Brohm believes that self-care strategies are beneficial to just about anyone, from factory workers to vice presidents of companies to housewives, as it will teach people to develop a skill set to do what is healthy for them.

He added that learning to take care of oneself can help people avoid heart attacks, anger, road rage and high blood pressure.