Depression. It's that disorder that has become seemingly fashionable amongst celebrities, up there with 'exhaustion.' Because to put the label of 'depressed' on oneself is to excuse not wanting to get out of bed in the morning as something chemically based and therefore unavoidable. At the slightest hint of a struggle in life, "I'm depressed" is a license to reach for the Prozac and all is rosy once again.

But the haphazard way in which many practitioners are all too quick to write someone off as 'depressed' has left the disorder, which in it's pure clinical sense is debilitating and soul-destroying, somewhat ridiculed such that "I'm depressed" will be received by most with "Yeah, yeah; go take your happy pills then."

But one might ask, are the 14.8 million American adults diagnosed as depressed all genuine cases? Is it possible that such a colossal number of people can be feeling so hopeless?

With ever rising figures on the number of people diagnosed with depression each year, it seems that perhaps events in the world itself are having an effect on our biology. Cognitive behavioural therapy used to be heralded as an effective form of treatment for depression; changing the way somebody thought about themselves and their life could give them a new, brighter persepctive that motivated them to get their life back on track. But today, against a backdrop of war, terrorism, stabbings, gun crimes, poverty and disease, is it really possible for a counsellor to convince someone that there is a bright side? Depressing isn't it?

It's now well established that external events can alter the chemical activity of a person's biology. So is it that the only way forward is to prescribe the drugs to change the biology that is being permeated by the doom and gloom of the news today? Or in a more humanistic approach, should we all live in a bubble, oblivious to the world around, and make the most of what we have inside our own little microcosms?

Be Nicer

Positive energy is contagious. If you do something nice for someone today, chances are that before the end of the day that person will do something nice for someone else. Holding the door for someone costs you nothing more than a few seconds out of your day, however if that person is having a bad day it might just be the little pick up needed to put them in a better mood. Little things mean a lot, and if you are doing nice things for people, you will begin to feel better about yourself.

Always keep in mind that the age, maturity level, and temperament of your child should always be considered when enforcing a set disciplinary action. Disciplinary actions should be discussed and understood in advance so that children know what they have coming when they've misbehaved and can give pause and hopefully choose an appropriate route to avoid it. And most importantly, remember that it's not the child you dislike; it's his or her chosen behavior, action or misdeed.

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But, it isn't that easy. The rational side of your brain might be telling you all this but your subconscious may still be hanging on to the fact that you are a smoker and could be telling you to go into the nearest store and buy a pack right away! So, to put it simply, hypnosis deals with the subconscious thus making it far easier for you to quit effectively.

Going for hypnosis sessions to cure a bad habit will simply help ALL of your mind focus on the goal of giving up. The methods used by hypnotherapists vary. Some, for example, use a form of aversion therapy that makes you feel slightly nauseous at the thought of smoking. Others simply tell your subconscious that you are not a smoker so - after your session; you'll act like a non-smoker because your brain is telling you to.

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