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Kimberly Lane,APRN |
A Conversation with Kimberly Lane,APRN in our
Behavioral Health Outpatient Clinic
As the leaves begin to change color and the evenings become
cooler, people who struggle with depression and seasonal mood
disorders often feel a prickle of anxiety.The holiday season and
winter can be especially difficult and long for those who suffer from
the effects of depression, anxiety, and illnesses of stress and mood.
Kim Lane manages patients’ medications and mental health at Day
Kimball Hospital’s Outpatient Behavioral Health Clinic and she has
six practical areas that she feels all of us can work on this winter to
promote greater happiness, peace of mind, and overall good health.
1. First, Kim says that “good physical and mental health all start with sleep. A good night’s sleep is essential to every other piece of our lives.” People need to create the right sort of sleep environment; a bedroom that is dark and quiet.White noise is useful if the neighborhood is not quiet.A good mattress is crucial, especially for people with any sort of back difficulties.The bedroom should be used “only for sleeping and sex; there should be no TV in the bedroom, because TV’s and computers stimulate your brain rather than making you sleepy.”
2. Second, Kim states that it is very important for all of us to get into and to maintain a regular schedule. Our bodies need structure for sleeping and eating.We need to find a rhythm and a schedule that works for us and stick with it. Kim said this is our“circadian rhythm and it is linked to good health and energy.” Therefore, going to bed at the same time night to night and getting up at the same time is good for us. Likewise, keeping a reliable eating schedule will also help the body’s natural rhythm.
3. Kim’s third and extremely crucial point is all about diet. To some very large degree, we are what we eat. Eating healthy foods, as natural as possible, is best for our bodies and minds. Regardless of our weight, it should be our goal to eat a low sugar and low fat diet.This sort of diet promotes good mental as well as physical health. Fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grain breads, lean meats and dairy products are all good for us and will help to keep us feeling fresher and more focused.The more fat, sugar, and preservatives we consume, the less well we are likely to feel. Kim feels strongly that eating junk food most often makes people feel and perform a lot like the quality of the food they just ate.
4. Kim’s fourth suggestion is get up, to get out and to move around. “Find something you like to do and do it,” she says.“Studies show over and over again that exercise (even without medication) is good for anxiety and reduces stress.” Kim suggests yoga or meditative type exercises that emphasize breathing well and pacing yourself. But really any sort of exercise is fine. Whatever you enjoy, whether it is walking, jogging, biking, bowling, kayaking, or hiking, just get out and MOVE!! And Kim notes,“exercise has the additional value of boosting your immune response.”
5.
A fifth strategy for overcoming depression is to surround
ourselves with “positive people.” “We need to make intentional
and good choices about the people with whom we choose to spend
our time and energy,” says Kim.A trustworthy and respectful circle
of friends, a positive and healthy group of social supports, is
essential to our overall mental and emotional health.“Seek people
who are gentle, supportive,
kind, and generous.Avoid
people, even relatives, who are
critical, judgmental, unkind, and
uncomfortable people.You
cannot choose your family so
choose wisely those
environments where you do
have the power to choose,
such as groups of friends,
church fellowships, and other
community groups. Find a
higher power; call on your
meditative, spiritual and
internal power to soothe your
heart and your soul, to find a
sense of peace.And look
carefully at your work environment and your job. Do you like what
you do? Is it fulfilling and productive? Do you feel good about what
you accomplish? All these issues should be carefully examined
before a person starts a course of medication.”
6. Finally, Kim recommends that people who want to be as healthy and happy as possible take a careful look at their life and think about how they make decisions. “What is that you can let go of?” she asks.“Ask yourself, will it matter five years from now? One year from now? You have to prioritize your goals and how you are going to spend your energy and time.Things have a way of working out, sometimes not in the way we think they should, but okay nevertheless.There is help beyond ourselves.You cannot control everything that happens to you but you can control how you respond. It is always your choice to control your attitude.”
Kim states very clearly,“there is no magic pill that will do all the work for you. Some people need medication to manage their depression and anxiety and that is okay. But they should also be working on making their lifestyle and personal choices as healthy as possible, and they should either be seeking formal talk therapy or have a good and close friend with whom they can share their feelings in a safe way. Often talk therapy is just as effective as medication, and for many depressed patients, the two work best together, along with lifestyle management.”
So this winter, as the dark and cold creep upon us, some small and relatively simple lifestyle adjustments could make a significant difference in how we feel and cope.
Twenty Easy Ways to
Reduce Stress
1. Learn that less is more
2. Keep it simple
3. Pace yourself…
make change incrementally
4. Take one day at a time
5. Eat right
6. Live within your budget
7. Talk less, listen more
8. Go for a walk
9. Take a hot shower or bath
10. Laugh more
11. Allow your inner
child some play time
12. Get enough rest
13. Play with your pet
14. Live in the moment
15. Be kind to unkind people
16. Avoid gossip and
don’t complain
17. Be grateful
18. Develop an attitude
of forgiveness
19. Practice patience
20. Meditate or pray
Where to Seek Help
Sometimes depression is more than we can handle on our
own. If you find that you are having trouble coping with
stress and depression there are options available to help
you. Here are some resources:
Bereavement Support Group: A peer support group for adults who have lost loved ones. Meets for rotating six-week schedule at DKH. For times call 928-0422 x2042.
Depression and Bipolar Support Group: Meets every Tuesday from 6:30-8:30 pm at DKH’s Field Conf. Center. For more information call 928-6541 x2015.
Coping With the Holidays: A support group for adults who have lost a loved-one. Offered in November and is FREE and open to the public. For more information call 928-6541 x2042.
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