careernav.

By Anne Parker

Yes, yes the changes are obvious. You know that you will physically age and won’t be as sharp mentally as you are now. You’ve only got to look at grandpa to see that. However, not only will you eventually get old and senile but there are other less obvious changes to deal with. There will likely be a series of mental and physical ups and downs along the way and some may impact on your life, your learning and work decisions.

The “ups” are great, they carry you along, you feel optimistic, bursting with energy and life’s great. The downs are of course just the opposite; we all experience them and we all need some strategies and support at these times so the following may help:

The blues and their impact

If you’ve experienced a slump at school where you struggle to get out of bed and often arrive late, can’t get motivated, can’t concentrate on class work, don’t care about your results you’ll know that it’s not a good space to be in. Teachers would be pushing you to catch up; parents may be on your back too. If you’re lucky someone may recognize your behaviour as a psychological change, possibly depression and be supportive but for a time you may be dealing with it on your own. At school, your grades may suffer and you may feel some heat from teachers and family. But at work the consequences could be more far reaching: from making a poor decision like knocking back an opportunity to being sacked for under performing.

How do you know if you’re stressed and depressed?

It’s now recognized that stress can cause physical symptoms and illness. The body tells you that your mind is not happy in some remarkable ways. Some common symptoms according to the website devoted to depression, Beyond blue are:

• Grumpiness or feeling irritable
• Feeling anxious and worried
• Sleeplessness
• Not wanting to get out of bed
• Physical tension
• Overdoing the alcohol and/or drugs

NOTE: Depression is said to occur when you have some of the above symptoms for a period of time and is not to be confused with sadness due to an upsetting event like the death of a friend .This is normal behaviour.

What helps?

Figuring out what causes your stress and other psychological problems is half the battle. You can’t effectively deal with something if you don’t know what causes it can you?  Figuring out the triggers for stress, loss of motivation and depression is very personal stuff and often it’s really hard to put your finger on it but it’s a must to get you going again.

Thinking about and reviewing past events and situations generally reveals the underlying cause/s but if not then maybe a medical opinion should be sought.

The strategies that you see on advertisements about depression and that you have been told about by the welfare person at school are tried and true for most. In case you aren’t aware of them they are:

• Physical exercise of any kind preferably about 30 minutes a day. A good brisk walk is excellent and costs you nothing.
• A diet that covers the 5 food groups i.e. has plenty of vegetables and fresh fruit, some lean meat (unless you’re a veggie), a lot of grains, nuts, bread, cereal, rice, pasta and spuds, some milk, yogurt and cheese and then go easy on the fats, oils and sweets. Also don’t skip meals; that’s especially important when you’re still growing.
• Getting help helps; talking to someone about how you’re feeling and why. Whilst it doesn’t necessarily solve why you are in low spirits it really works to get things off your chest and unburden yourself. Try it with trusted friends and family and then if your lack of motivation still persists get some professional help from your doctor or a psychologist.
• Change what’s causing the grief if possible. If you’re not coping with a particular school subject you’d try and drop it for something else wouldn’t you? Well if you’re job is the cause of your psychological problems perhaps you should try and change jobs or aspects of the job that create the stress and consequent issues.
• Set new career goals if you’re in a rut career-wise. It’s very motivating and a positive thing to do
• Reading about and understanding these mental health problems can assist you in dealing with them. Have a look at www.beyondblue.org.au

Pearls of wisdom

• Walk a couple of stops before you catch your tram, bus or train if that’s practicable or ride a bike if it’s safe to do so.
• Take up yoga and meditation; great for mental and physical health
• Listen to soothing music
• Have a bubble bath