Mental Nutrition

After some lapse in posting new blogs, here I am again resuming from where I left off sometime ago.

First Dose: What's New that I've recently learned -

For my favorite source of "new" knowledge, I like to forage through the old and used books section of the" Friends of the Library." Almost all libraries have this section. It is a good place to buy books for practically nothing - as low as $0.10 up to about $1.00 per book. And these are not necessarily old books. They can even be recent best sellers. But I digress.

Here's what I learned from one of the "old" books I picked up: Feeling Good - The New Mood Therapy by Dr. David D. Burns, a Signet Book, first printed in 1981.

Depression has been called the world's number one public health problem! It is so widespread that it is called the "common cold" of psychiatric disturbances. However, there is a very significant difference between your common cold and depression. While a cold can give you running nose and some degree of discomfort, a depression left unchecked can actually kill you! Now that is really serious. This is because depression can lead to suicide! In recent years, there has been a shocking inrease in the suicide rate, even among children and adolescents. This, despite the wide use of antidepressant drugs and tranquilizers - dispensed in the Billions of dollars!

Now before I depress you any further with this rather gloomy bit of knowledge, let me tell you the good news about it: Depression can be overcome by simple methods for MOOD ELEVATION. Dr. Burns has recently developed what is termed: COGNITIVE THERAPY - a clinically proven revolutionary method of drug-free treatment for depression from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
My understanding of the essence of this treatment is: by managing your moods, you can effectively deal with depression and its very dangerous, destructive effects. This Cognitive Therapy is a fast-acting technique that can be learned by anyone and applied personally without necessarily going to a psychiatrist.

The benefits that this method provides include:

• Rapid Symptomatic Improvement: For mild depressions, the effects can be noted within a few weeks - about 12 weeks.
• Understanding: You'll learn why you get moody and what you can do to change it.
• Self-Control: You'll learn to develop and apply practical, realistic, step-by-step self-help plans to put you moods under greater voluntary control.
• Prevention and Personal Growth: Provide genuine and long-lasting prophylaxis (prevention) of future mood swings that can lead to your personal growth.

This is a far as I will go with this. You have the information, just pick it up from there and learn the details about it yourself. My message here really is that while depression can be very damaging and dangerous to your well being, YOU can DO SOMETHING to correct it - YOURSELF! Just take the effort to learn how.

Second Dose: Now for Something FUNNY or Light -

Doctor: "This is a very sad case, very sad indeed. I much regret to tell you that your wife's mind is gone - completely gone."

Husband: "I'm not at all surprised, doctor. She's been giving me a piece of it every day for the last twenty years."

-----

"How did your wife get on with her slimming diet?"
"Fine - she disappeared completely last week!"

-------

He: "But you promised at the altar to obey me."

She: "Of course. I didn't want to make a scene."

____

Third Dose: Here's something Inspiring from Helen Steiner Rice:

Enfolded in His Love

The LOVE of GOD surrounds us
Like the air we breathe around us --
As near as a heartbeat,
as close as a prayer.
And whenever we need HIM
HE will always be there!

GOD's Love

GOD's Love is like an island
In life's ocean vast and wide -
A peaceful, quiet shelter
From the restless, rising tide.

GOD's Live is like an anchor
When the angry billows roll -
A mooring in the storms of life,
A stronghold for the soul.

GOD's Love is like a fortress
And we seek protection there
When the waves of tribulation
Seems to drown us in despair.

GOD's Love is like a harbor
Where our souls can find sweet rest
From the struggle and the tension
Of life's fast and futile quest . . .

GOD's Love is like a beacon
Burning bright with FAITH and PRAYER
And through the changing scenes of life
We can find a HAVEN THERE!

And that is it, for "Your Daily Dose" today. I know this is supposed to be a daily posting, but just like most of you perhaps, I just get caught up in many other things to do to keep us with this. But, I will try to post as often as I can. Just bear with me, thank you.