October brings the fun of
Halloween, the stress of mid-terms, the changing of the seasons, and the sugar
rush known as the holidays. October is also the Health and Wellness Depression
Awareness month. Most of us know depression can happen to anyone. Most of us
don’t know when it happens to us. When I was first depressed I didn’t recognize
it as depression. I knew I was eating a lot of candy, losing weight, sleeping
10 hours a day, and still tired. I knew I had stopped caring about school as
much but I worried about it all the time. I had a hard time concentrating. I wasn’t hanging out with my friends and I
didn’t work as hard. My body was sore and
hurt a lot. I knew all of this but I
didn’t know I was depressed. I was a college student, I was working a lot and
going to school a lot. It was normal,
right?
It
really isn’t. It isn’t normal or healthy.
It is very, very COMMON. Depression is more common than we realize,
mostly because we don’t know what is happening. Most college students experience depression. When a person is stressed for a long period
of time, the body has high levels of cortisol, adrenaline, and norepinephrine.
The problem is that most of us don’t know when or even how to relax so our body
is trying to make these chemicals all the time. At some point our body gets
tired of working so hard and stops trying. Our body literally goes into a
depressed state. Our brain (mood) does
the same thing.
Just
because depression is common doesn’t mean you have to ignore it. There are many
things you can do to help with depression. The free things you can do include regular
sleep, frequent exercise, eat healthy food, avoid caffeine, spend time in the
sun, and rest/relax/unplug. Also, use your free massage each semester. If you
have depression that isn’t getting better with the free stuff, talk with your
doctor or make an appointment at the Health and Wellness Clinic. They can help
you decide if medication is a good option for you. Acupuncture, meditation, or talking with a
counselor helps many people. For me, the biggest thing that helped my
depression was massage therapy. It was
the main reason I became a massage therapist. The more often you can receive massage therapy
the greater the benefits to your body and mind.
Massage does so much for the
depressed body and mind. First, you
don’t have to do anything but show up for your appointment. Massage is a
passive activity. You RELAX during massage. Second, your body relaxes too. This
means your blood pressure drops, toxins are moved out of your body, your
digestion starts working more (your stomach gurgles during massage), and your
adrenals can turn off and recharge. Also, your brain mellows out. Many people meditate or sleep during massage. Third, your body is getting attention. Most of
us ignore our bodies because we are busy. Depression often makes our bodies
feel sore, in pain, and tired all the time. Massage finds those areas that hurt
and helps them feel better. Massage helps those tense muscles relax. Massage focuses on your body and what it
needs. And after a massage, students
often feel very invigorated or very sleepy and they often sleep better that
night. All this lets your body and mind reboot and recharge. Massage can help your mind and body deal with
depression and helps elevate your mood.
[Photo: tropicaltherapyvi.com]
