Tips on Social Media Marketing

There seems to be a general confusion and complication for many people when the phrase Social Media Marketing is mentioned, let alone discussed. But in reality, if you come to think about it and put everything in proper perspective, it is quite simple and easy to comprehend. We share with you below some pointers to adhere to in order to simplify your social media marketing.

First, you must seriously determine the people or parties that you want to focus with social media marketing. It is also important for you not to limit yourself to only one target group, but make an effort to try and focus on three to five different and distinct target markets. You have to choose your selected markets because you cannot service everyone at the same time and if you do this, you will not be able to achieve anything.

Secondly, try to devise a scheme to focus on your choice groups then connect with them and communicate with them. Keeping your communication lines constantly open and active is important in social media dealings.

Thirdly, you must see to it that you create a list of your social contacts and to make sure that you continue to communicate with the persons in your list constantly and continuously and build and keep your relationships through communication. Many people neglect this aspect but this is very critical to having lasting and enduring social media achievement. You must remember to create a list of contacts and adhere to that list through constant communication.

Make an effort to devote at least a couple of hours a day to do social media marketing, as this is appropriate in getting the most out of your social media marketing efforts. If you are a little bit pressed for time, you always have the alternative to reduce your work proportionately.

Extend yourself and give value to your social contacts by providing them content, notes, free reports, quotes, videos, and appealing pieces of data. People in general have a thirst for information and you are in the best position to give them what they want. Remember, providing them with regular information keeps your social media efforts active also.

Make it a point to ensure that people would know how to buy a product or service from you. A lot of people miss the opportunity of closing the deal even though this aspect seems very basic and natural.

Go the extra mile and develop relationships even beyond the Internet. If you can start a relationship online, and then continue developing that relationship offline, either conversing through the telephone or meeting each other in person, then better results can be achieved.

Use networking sites to invite people to seminars, functions and other offline events. This option gives you the chance to come up with a large turnout of people, make more money, and to reinforce better relationships.

Avoid spamming as there is a lot of spam already pervading, do not be lulled into contributing to the spamming problems you will annoy your contacts and they will lose interest.

Always remember to enjoy yourself in doing as this is its essence to have fun. Be light and casual in your dealings to make everything fun and enjoyable.

Drama Queens - Do You Attract Drama in Your Life Or Business?

One of my incredible mentors raised an interesting question in a teleclass this week: Do you attract drama in your life or business?

Your first impulse might be to deny it. But what is drama really?

The dictionary definition of "drama" is a state, situation, or series of events involving interesting or intense conflict of forces, or excessively emotional performances or reactions.

Well, I don't know about you, but if that is how drama is defined, I certainly can't say that I haven't experienced my fair share of it.

And if you are launching or running your own business, it is likely you have too.

What does drama do to us? Well, drama creates stress. And unless you have been living under a rock for the past few years, chances are that you have heard about what stress can do to your body. A quick refresher:

"The body doesn't distinguish between physical and psychological threats. When you're stressed over a busy schedule, an argument with a friend, a traffic jam, or a mountain of bills, your body reacts just as strongly as if you were facing a life-or-death situation. If you have a lot of responsibilities and worries, your emergency stress response may be "on" most of the time. The more your body's stress system is activated, the easier it is to trip and the harder it is to shut off.

Long-term exposure to stress can lead to serious health problems. Chronic stress disrupts nearly every system in your body. It can raise blood pressure, suppress the immune system, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, contribute to infertility, and speed up the aging process. Long-term stress can even rewire the brain, leaving you more vulnerable to anxiety and depression."

Yuck, right? I know that none of us want to face these physical and emotional risks.

So, how do we prevent ourselves from becoming another stress-related statistic? The answer lies in the simple question: Do you create drama, attract it, seek it out...Are you a drama junkie?

This takes some real soul-searching to get to the answer.

The first place to look is your past to see if there are patterns that you can see in your life - patterns in your relationships, your work experiences, your family, your money situation, etc.... Most of us continue in the same kind of cycles in life until we become aware of those cycles and make a firm decision to change their experiences and the results of those experiences.

Remember that famous quote by Albert Einstein about cycles? He said, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

I am here to say that drama is just about the most destructive cycle you can get caught in as a business owner. Besides the awful physical and emotional havoc it can wreck on you, it can also undo all of your hard work, make forward progress difficult if not impossible, and can even ruin valued relationships.

Any way you look at it, drama can hurt you, your business and your bottom line.

So, where is YOUR drama?

In your environment? Is your office a mess? Do you have clutter in your workspace? Are you months behind on your filing?

In your wallet? Are you up to date on your bookkeeping? Do you have a box, file or pile of receipts building up that you keep forgetting to do something with? Do you have unpaid bills or an unbalanced bank account?

In your relationships? Do you have someone in your life who sucks up all of your energy? Someone who discourages you or actively criticizes you? Do you have a relationship that is riddled with arguments, resentment or weighty expectations?

Can you see where I am going with this? I think if we are all honest with each other, we all have some area or areas where there is drama. In fact, many of us have likely learned to live with it day-in and day-out, the weight of it pushing down on us. We have learned to tune out the warning bells, the adrenaline rush, the frustration and to just live with the drama like it is an inevitable part of our lives.

Drama should not be an inevitable part of our lives on a regular basis. True, life always changes and always sends us curve-balls and tragedy. We all have our crosses to bear at one time or another.

But accepting daily drama and pain isn't healthy and it will keep you from true success, true happiness and living your truth.

If you are on this blog, chances are you want success, happiness and the chance to be your true self, so it is time to address the sources of drama in your life.

Some of them are easier to deal with than others, but you really can deal with any kind of drama.

If your office is a mess, you can devote an afternoon to clearing it out and getting organized. Better yet, pay someone to do it for you on a regular basis and devote your time to activities that move you forward. It is also much easier to quickly eliminate the chaos and drama when you bring someone in who isn't emotionally connected to your drama. She can be unemotional and efficient about clearing the clutter, whereas you might be bogged down in the emotional connection to the things you need cleared out.

If you face money drama, that can be overwhelming, but it can be eliminated. For starters, hire a good bookkeeper to handle your books and to enter receipts on a weekly or monthly basis. She can also balance your accounts for you and keep you on top of bills that need to be paid. Pay her to do her job, and focus your time on what you do well, which will in turn result in more revenue and less money drama. That does NOT mean ignore your finances, though. Make sure you stay connected to what is happening and that your bookkeeper educates you weekly on all of your accounts.

If you face drama in your relationships, that one can be harder to deal with, especially if the person who brings drama into your life is a spouse, parent, child or best friend. This is a very complicated subject for a blog post, but I urge you to think about ways to eliminate the drama in those relationships. It might require counseling, or carving out space for yourself each week, or it might ultimately require that you (sadly) end the relationship. If you have people in your life who are toxic, that is always going to undermine your attempts to achieve your dream life. You need to surround yourself with people who believe in you, who are your fans and champions, and who give you honest feedback that builds you up and helps you progress (honesty is NOT the same as criticism or harsh words).

I know a lot of this is easier said than done, but all you have to do is just START. You just need to take baby steps and make sure you renew your commitment on a daily basis to eliminating drama in your life and business. Taking the first baby step is a movement towards breaking the cycle of insanity. It will open up your horizons, free you to a new future and you will find that you have renewed energy, enthusiasm and strength, all of which you need in order to find your business brilliance!

Good luck and let me know how it is going for each of you!

p.s. If you need some direction, you might want to consider my programs. My clients who want greater support and a tribe of their own often seek out my coaching programs and bootcamps, which provide the tools, support and encouragement that accelerates them towards success and turbo-charges their journey towards bliss and business brilliance. http://www.jessicaeavesmathews.com

General Guide to Sugar Glider Physiology, Behavior, and Interaction

The following notes cover essential points about sugar glider physiology and basic behavior patterns. Use this information to better understand why your sugar glider (SG) is behaving in a particular manner.

1. Information about the group or colony is passed around through scents. If you introduce a new sugar glider to an existing colony, it will most likely be scented by the dominant sugar glider. Either this happens, or a fight will ensue.

2. Only male suggies have scenting glands on their faces. This makes it easy to differentiate males from females. Male glider bears are keener to mark their territories than females.

3. A sugar bear that has been replaced by a more dominant member of the colony can become depressed and may begin to exhibit signs of depression.

The behavior of other sugar bears toward particular gliders in a group also has a direct bearing on how a suggie will behave in the long-term. For example, if a sugar bear is regularly bullied by older and stronger gliders, the weaker sugar bear may become depressed or may exhibit excessive aggression.

4. Fights that ensue because a new suggie has been introduced to an existing group should be prevented because adult sugar bears have been known to fight 'intruders' to the death. At the first sign of aggression, remove the newcomer and transfer the new sugar bear to a separate cage.

5. The dominant male of a group should not be removed because this will cause stress to the entire group. Stress can eventually lead to extreme symptoms like self-mutilation.

Some pet owners remove the dominant male to facilitate the entry of a new SG. This approach may or may not work, because the colony system of honey gliders is so important that other members of the group become physiologically weakened when a dominant member is forcibly removed from the group.

6. Rubbing a piece of fabric to a newcomer's body would be a better approach when introducing new gliders to an existing group. Let the old gliders bond with the smell before showing the existing group their new member. This way, the entry of the new member will have less of a negative impact on the existing group.

7. New gliders should be placed in a starter's cage for at least 21 days before being introduced to the existing colony or group. This is done to reduce the chances of spreading infection or disease.

8. If a new SG has been attacked or has not been integrated through general scenting, the sugar glider must be taken out and placed in a separate cage once again. Any attempts to re-integrate the new honey glider should be done after one or two weeks.

9. Honey bears are naturally active at night because this marsupial species is nocturnal. In the wild, honey bears hunt at night as well.

10. Behavior synchronization is sometimes observed in small groups of sugar bears. If one glider becomes alarmed, it is possible that the others will become alarmed as well.

11. When temperatures drop, a colony of honey bears will group closely together to raise or maintain their body temperatures.

12. The gestation period of sugar bear is only fifteen to seventeen days.

13. A sugar glider can reproduce any time of the year.

Depression in Men - A Problem of Denial?

Depression in men can be hard to diagnose and is often undetected both by themselves as well as their doctors. Part of the problem is the mindset of doctors, some of whom do not recognise or acknowledge, the hormonal changes occurring in men. These can begin as early as age 35, though the majority of men experience this in their 40's and 50's.

About 40% of middle aged men are depressed according to statistics. This can present serious problems if left untreated, particularly to men's overall physical well-being, leading to possible high cholesterol, obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Mid-life depression in men has been proven to be the main cause of divorce and can also lead to suicide. The rate of men committing suicide in mid-life is three times the US national average.

From their 30's, men begin to experience a reduction in testosterone and this is known as Testosterone Defficiency Syndrome. This may or may not cause any symptoms, but, being able to recognise the warning signs that all is not right, is the first step to healing.

Symptoms can include a lack of energy and vitality, loss of sexual desire or libido and mood swings. Other warning signs that signal depression in men include the following:

1. becoming controlling

2. blaming others

3. being critical

4. creating conflict

5. being suspicious or secretive

6. becoming compulsive

7. feeling restless and unable to relax

8. getting angry

The above list of symptoms may be hard to swallow and actually believe. We are all quick to deny any "seeming" negative behaviour we do not wish to see in ourselves.

Treatment of male depression presents a challenge in that it is still only partially being accepted by doctors and men themselves. Because depression over the years has been viewed as more of a female issue, men may have difficulty accepting that they could be going through the same thing.

Often resistant to getting help, men will deny that there is anything wrong with them. Also, sexual dysfunction may be an embarrassing subject for them so they may put off discussing it, hoping things will change on their own. Denial can lead to a loss of self esteem and unexpressed grief,that can have far-reaching consequences in family life.

Depression in men, is not something to be ashamed of, but just another facet of life to journey through and it does not have to last forever. By not seeking answers, men are placing their health, that of their family and their lives in jeopardy. Is denial worth the cost?

Health Insurance Coverage For Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is a unique affective syndrome marked by severe pathologic mood swings from hyperactivity and euphoria to sadness or depression. Some patients suffer from acute attacks of mania only. In many patients, manic episodes emerge over a period of days to weeks. Untreated episodes can last as long as 8 to 12 months, with some having an unremitting and unpredictable course.

Bipolar disorder is surprisingly common, affecting 3 million people within the United States, however it is difficult to diagnose. The disease is equally prevalent in both females and males. Females are more prone to have depressive episodes while males experience more manic episodes comparatively speaking. Approximately half of all patients with this disorder have difficulties in work performance and psychological functioning.Onset of the conditions usually occurs or manifest between the ages of 20 through 30, however symptoms have been reported in late childhood and early adolescence.

Contrary To Popular Belief Not All Applicants With Bipolar Are Turned Down For Health Insurance.

There is sufficient evidence statistically proving that insuring a patient with Bipolar Disorder does comprise a higher medical loss ratio for the insurer, negatively impacting its financial prowess while retaining assumed liability by absorbing the cost of an expensive regime of healthcare treatment divided equally between prescription medication usage and behavioral lifestyle contingencies.

Problem Number One: The Drugs.

Widely used to treat Bipolar Disorder, Lithium proves highly effective in relieving and preventing manic episodes. The drug curbs accelerated thought processes and hyperactive behavior without the sedating effect of antipsychotic medicine. In addition, it may prevent the recurrence of depressive episodes, however it is still ineffective in treating acute depression.

Lithium has a narrow therapeutic range, so treatment must be initiated cautiously and the dosage adjusted slowly. Therapeutic blood levels must be maintained for 7 to 10 days before effects appear; therefore, antipsychotic medications often are used in the interim for sedation and symptomatic relief. Because lithium is excreted by the kidneys, any renal impairment necessitates withdrawal of the drug.

Valproic Acid is an alternative to Lithium for those who do not tolerate it. It is especially helpful in rapid cycling courses of Bipolar Disorder. Carbamazepine is helpful in the treatment of mania but it is not formally approved by the Food and Drug Administration for Bipolar Disorder. Anti Depressants occasionally are used to treat depressive symptoms however these drugs may trigger a manic episode.

Medications to treat Bipolar Disorder are expensive and constitute a lot of contraindications that can lead to many co-morbidities leaving the insurer to pay the tab.

Problem Number Two: The Uncertainty.

As far as the behavioral contingencies there is only one plausible way to evaluate the risk assessment appropriately which is to utilize a questionnaire screen against electronic medical records.
Applicants diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder are sometimes insurable but require careful screening to determine the extent and severity of their condition. Here are some useful tips on answering underwriter questionnaires successfully to get approved without inevitable riders and exclusions.

Health Insurance Underwriting Questions.

(1) When was the applicant diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder?

Answer: As a general rule the date is not as important as there is no definitive period of medical clearance for this condition as a guideline. What underwriters are really looking for here is if there was an incidence requiring hospitalization. If being hospitalized was not documented then most likely there will be no formal request for medical records from the physician who made the diagnosis official. In this case the farther back it was diagnosed the better.

(2) When was the applicant's last acute episode?

Answer: The insurer is primarily concerned on gauging or measuring estimated probabilities of inpatient and outpatient stay. If there is such a medical history on file then there is a frame of reference to go by as far as calculating cost and determining an appropriate rate. If there was an incidence call the physician and ask him or her to document notation in the record of progress before submission of the application.

(3) What medications are being used to treat the applicant and how well are they working?

Answer: Pharmaceutical databases have a registry on file with prescription medication usage, dosage, and frequency consumed on each patient so a good idea is to terminated the prescription and have the physician give the quantities during the office visit.

(4) Is the applicant gainfully employed and living independently?

Answer: The underwriter wants to know if there are any other factors affecting the applicant's insurability. A simple employment verification will usually be all that's required to confirm an applicant is responsible enough to pay premiums and not indulge to often in deviant behavior. Prior notice to the employer of a possible interrogation from the health insurance company is a prudent measure.

These techniques have worked many times to get approved for a major medical heath insurance plan with applicants diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. If you or some one you know has been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and is facing difficulty in obtaining quality health insurance, please visit our website at http://www.health-insurance-buyer.com and leave your contact information. One of our licensed agents will contact you at your discretion and help you with all your needs.

Nursing Interventions in the Diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder

Diagnosis Bipolar Disorder: "Bipolar disorder is a severe biologic illness characterized by recurrent fluctuations in mood. Typically, patients experience alternating episodes in which mood is abnormally elevated or abnormally depressed-separated by periods in which mood is relatively normal." (Lehne, 2004, p. 321)

The following is a short synopsis according to the DSM-IV-TR, "Criteria for Bipolar Disorder" includes a distinct period of abnormality and persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood for at least:
- 4 days for hypomania
- week for mania

During the period of mood disturbance, at least three or more of the following symptoms have persisted and have been present to a significant degree:
- Inflated self-esteem or grandiosity
- Decreased need for sleep
- More talkative than usual or pressure to keep talking
- Excessive involvement in pleasurable activities that have a high potential for painful consequences." (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2000).

Psychodynamics of the Disease The onset of the disease usually occurs during late adolescence or in the mid twenties. However, the disease has been known to occur up into the fifth decade of life. The mood swings that accompany this disorder are of several types. They are as follows: the Pure Manic Episode, evidenced by hyperactivity, excessive enthusiasm, and flight of ideas, constant wakefulness without sleep,

Impairment in normal social functioning usually requiring hospitalization; Hypomanic Episode, evidenced by a milder form of the Pure Mania, without the loss of normal functioning that would require hospitalization; Major Depressive Episode, characterized by depressed mood consisting of symptoms such as anhedonia, avolition, alogia, affective flattening and thoughts of suicide and death; the last episode associated with Bipolar disorders is the Mixed Episode in which, "patients experience symptoms of mania and depression simultaneously. The combination of high energy and depression puts them at significant risk of suicide." (Lehne, 2004, p. 321)

Case Presentation
A Caucasian woman in her mid twenties presented signs and symptoms of self mutilation with a straight edge razor inflicted gash across her lower abdomen approximately six inches below the umbilicus. The depth of the gash just stopped at the abdominal fascia. The patient was sent from the emergency room to the psychiatric floor. Upon meeting the patient one day after her admission to E.R., she appeared dressed in pajama bottoms and a t-shirt, shuffling down the hall in her socks. She was holding her abdomen with one hand and appeared in some discomfort. Her black hair was short and disheveled. When the patient arrived at her room she sat down on her bed. She acknowledged with blunted affect that she cannot stop self mutilation, and described how she cut herself through the muscles in her abdomen almost down to the fascia. Her voice was tremulous and fast paced. This could be due to the fact that she had just been given her first dose of Clozaril. She stated that her mouth was dry and that she needed to drink some water. She then went on to say that she was getting very sleepy. The client felt comfortable with the interview.

She shared personal information in regards to being sexually abused by her bother beginning at the age of seven until the age of fifteen. Her brother was two years older than her and died in an automobile accident at the age of eighteen. She went on to say that her mother never knew or acknowledged the sexual abuse and that she could not tell her because the mother idolized the son. The client was receptive to cognitive reframing; however she was very critical of herself and stated that she felt worthless and ashamed. She appeared very tired and stated that she wanted to sleep.

Table 1
Textbook characteristics of Bipolar disorder versus client characteristics observed

Textbook Characteristics:
Pure Manic Episode
Hypomanic Episode
Major Depressive Episode-
Affective Flattening
Alogia
Avolition-apathy
Anhedonia
Mixed Episode
Rapid-Cycling Bipolar Disorder- Patients experience four or Client

Characteristics Observed:
No current symptoms
Rapid breathing, rapid speech, however due to medication a client was concurrently exhibiting lethargy
Client acknowledged sadness/ worthlessness
Facial expression flat
Thoughts of dying, hard to focus
Hair/clothes unkempt
Expressed no interest in children or own

Client's Symptoms
1. Hypomania
2. Depression
a.) Affective Flattening
b.) Alogia
c.) Avolition & Apathy
d.) Anhedonia
3. Mixed Episode
4. Rapid Cycling
(Varcarolis, 2004, p. 485)

Nursing Interventions

1. Observe the client every 15 minutes while suicidal, remove all dangerous, sharp objects from room.

2. Reinforce that she is worth while,
a.) Assist the client in evaluating the positive as well as the negative aspects of her life
b.) Encourage the appropriate expression of angry feelings.
c.) Schedule regular periods of time throughout the day for recreational/occupational therapy, encourage client to groom self, offer praise for completing grooming.
d.) Ensure client's participation in taking mood stabilizing medications. Watch client swallow medication.
3. Engage client in interpersonal therapies, cognitive-behavioral therapy,
4. Encourage client to attend group therapy, and journal episodes.

Table 2
Medical Interventions, Bipolar Disorder
Drug therapy using
Mood stabilizer
Antidepressants
Antipsychotics
Education and Psychotherapy
ECT
(Varcarolis, 2002, p. 483)

Clients Medical Interventions
Drug therapy includes
Lithium 300mg every h.s.
Not taking any Clozaril
Client is receiving psychotherapy, family counseling, group therapy while in hospital, and cognitive restructuring.
None

5 Simple Ways to Get Rid of Depression

1) Wake up in the morning
2) Get Passionate
3) Identify your Depression Triggers
4) Update your Mental Associations
5) Learn to breathe slow and deep

1) Wake Up in the Morning

There are 2 reasons why waking up in the morning - the earlier the better - helps get rid of depression;

1) Between 3am and around noon the human endocrine system is in 'waking mode'. This means your hormones are guiding your body to be active and alert rather than rested or sleeping. If you wake up during this time, you will have access to more than double the amount of vital energy you would if you woke up in the afternoon, evening or night. It is extremely depressing to wake up low on energy.

2) Because all people have more energy in the morning, and most have rested in the night, people are more optimistic, kinder perhaps, and more cheerful in the morning. Your idea of the world will be a happier one if you woke up at this time. In the afternoons and evenings most people are tired, stressed or burdened. You will be waking up to harder more difficult world - whether you can see this or not - and this can take its toll on you.

Our idea of the world goes a long way in causing depression or getting rid of it. No matter what you feel of life in general, either way its just half the picture. By waking up in the morning you choose to enjoy the lighter side during your waking hours. It makes a BIG difference. Try it!

2) Get Passionate

I know I might owe your visit here to searching the net for relief from depression, but we really need to stop focussing on Depression so much. The fact is, no matter what our reasons for being down, we are not going to move on from here till we get involved in something else. The more we think about depression, the higher our chances get of experiencing it.

Its now time to get passionate. Almost 90% of people with depression say they find relief when they are doing something they are passionate about. I do believe that one of the quickest ways to get relief from depression is to actually get involved in something passionately and whole-heartedly. You just have to take the first step towards your passion, nature and God will do the rest.

3) Identify your Depression Triggers

Your 'Depression Triggers' are those little incidents or places or people that trigger depression in you. They might be something totally unrelated or insignificant to your life in general. For example, the first time I adopted a pup, she pooped and peed all over the place for months and months. I just didn't know how to toilet train her, and then she was in the habit of eating things that upset her stomach. I cleaned up after her night and day using Lizol (disinfectant). My work was affected because of the time I spent just keeping the place clean, I hardly had time to rest, and I was constantly embarrassed and tense when people came to visit - it was a very difficult time for me.

A year on however and long after the nightmare was over, I found myself getting depressed every time I saw a Lizol bottle or smelled Lizol. For no reason I would go from being perfectly happy to feeling really low on energy and even hopeless - the same hopelessness and sense of failure I used to feel whenever I realized I hadn't been able to toilet train my dog.

I realized then that the smell of Lizol was triggering Depression in me, and lo and behold the second I became aware of it, it stopped depressing me! I even find it sort of funny now that a bottle of disinfectant could affect me that way.

We need to be aware of the little triggers that depress us. Then, we either remove them from our lives or face them and work it out or laugh it off. We need to resolve the issue in our hearts so we can face life in the moment and not be so affected by incidents of the past.

When we get depressed because of these triggers from the past, we are essentially carrying umbrellas long after it has stopped raining. Now isn't that a waste of energy?

4) Update your mental associations

From the moment we are born our brains start compiling a database of information on related things. For example, we associate church with God, sunshine with a happy day, hospitals with illness or pain, and so on. These associations lie beneath most of our sub-conscious reactions to life long after our childhood. Sometimes though, they can become irrelevant and be more of a pain than a help.

Many of these associations are also inherited from our parents and ancestors. For example, until a few decades ago most households made fresh bread every day right in the home. The lovely smell of fresh bread made people feel secure and well. The generations that followed began to buy bread from the market, but we all still associate the smell of fresh bread with well-being and peace. It is an inherited association. Real estate agents report that houses that smell of fresh bread sell much faster than other houses.

Similarly we have mental associations that can trigger depression in us. The scent of the cologne that someone we had an unpleasant experience with wore, a bus or train station where we said a final goodbye to a loved one, or even things like pencils, books, furniture, certain foods etc.

I had a terrible experience as a teenager when a friend I loved and cherished stopped talking to me without explanation. I made repeated phone calls but there was no answer - I know it was just my home number that was being left unanswered. It left such a terrible hurt in me that for years later I got stressed out and upset around phones.

The day I became aware of how I had associated phones with pain and trauma, it all stopped. Phones don't depress me anymore. I can't believe I was once so affected by a little electronic instrument!

Get yourself a pen and paper or open a blank document on your computer. Make a list of all the little things that deeply upset you. Then find out why they affect you so. You'll find yourself so relieved and laughing when you see how little insignificant things were troubling you so deeply all along.

5) Learn to breathe slow and deep

When we breathe fast and shallow, our body assumes we are in stress because that's what we naturally do in moments of stress. When we breathe slow and deep, our body assumes we are resting now.

If we have made a habit of breathing fast and shallow, we have made a habit of keeping our body in stress mode. Naturally we are depressed. How can we expect our nervous system to rest and feel well if it has to constantly be on the alert? How can we expect to fall asleep peacefully if our body still thinks we are on the battlefield?

Its just a simple little thing, and the No.1 cause of real clinical depression that is a long term hormone imbalance. Just breathe deep and slow. Do it every time you're watching TV (especially if you're watching a news channel!), do it while you are walking or working, or cooking, and please do it in bed. There's almost no stress related condition that cannot be healed by beginning to breathe deep and slow.

It really is a return to childhood because that's how we breathed as children. We took in air in huge trusting doses and felt it right till our tummies. We slept well, ate well, and were able to learn, play, grow and enjoy life.