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If you have a sound sense of purpose for your life, it is more difficult for you to find yourself trapped by depression the hustle and bustle of today’s workplace. The way to have this sound sense of purpose is to have an understanding of priorities, set your priorities, and maintain your priorities by setting reasonable life goals.

Depression is a state of unhappiness and hopelessness. With depression, comes feelings of dejection, lack of energy, sleeplessness, and, sometimes, suicidal tendencies. Depression is a trap that can catch you in two different ways. First, it can wear on you when you do not know what your sense of purpose is. Second, when you have a purpose, but, for whatever reason, you have lost focus regarding your purpose in life.

When you do not know what your sense of purpose in life you have no direction for your life. At best this will leave you with feelings of uncertainty and at worst it will leave you with feelings of hopelessness. It is important that you pray about your purpose in life. That you seek out your personal gifts or talents and then develop them. As you both develop your skills and seek God’s will, God will point you towards your niche in life. It is also important to set your priorities of God first, then your spouse & family, your job, your personal ministry, etc. This will help to keep you focused as you carry out God’s purpose for your life.

When we lose focus in our lives, it is usually because we have, in some way, disregarded our priorities. God needs to be first among our priorities. His word says we are to love God with all of our heart and all of our might.

Our next priority should be our spouse (or if your single, your family). In both words and action, we need to keep them readily aware that they are loved, cherished and important. We most make “quality” time to pour ourselves into our spouse and our children lives.

Next should be our jobs. Many would think that our personal ministry would come next, but that is not so. Our job is our means to support God’s house with tithes/offerings and to support our families. We should do our jobs as if we are working for God himself. That means always seeking to personally grow and develop your talents.

Lastly you should find a place in God’s house to serve others and give of yourself. When you open yourself to serve others, God will give you direction as to where to serve. You will get more out of it than you ever put into serving others.

There are forces in this world that will affect your thinking. Once this is done, Satan will seek to change your focus. If he can change your focus, he can affect your emotions. No longer are you pursuing your purpose through your priorities. The further and further you move from your purpose, the more it will bring negative emotions to surface. The negative emotions expose you to the abrasive nature of unhappiness and hopelessness. As unhappiness and hopelessness wear away at you, you begin to lose energy and the ability to find peace - to be at rest.

This is the trap of depression and it is something that many of us can slide into. Sometimes it’s a slow slide and sometimes it is a rapid slide into depression, but if unchanged it can have a devastating effect upon not only you, but those who are close to you.

So ask God for direction in your life. There is no woman or man, which God has not given a gift or talents to. You need to discover the marvelous talents he has given you. Then develop and grow them with a personal coach or mentor. Then set your priorities and life goals so that you have a positive focus for your life. There is a saying, “…it is hard to stop a good man that keeps on coming.” Ladies - men, it is going to be hard to stop you if you maintain your purpose and priorities. If you are feeling lost, then set yourself free by setting priorities and goals for yourself. After doing so, stick with your priorities - your goals and you will find that you have escaped the trap of depression. Maintaining your focus with Godly purposes and priorities will greatly aid you in avoiding the snare of depression.

Copyright 2006 Stan Lewis

Stan Lewis is a Christian Leadership & Life Coach. If you liked this article, you should really check out his new “Thinking Style” assessment by Clicking Here - http://www.assessmentgenerator.com/H/cRstanlewis1134788755.html If you would like a complimentary chat to talk about any issue, goal setting, or problems - Click here - http://realleadership4coachinglife.com/wst_page3.html
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Each one of us is linked to the emotions whether by protecting self values or deep affectionate involvement to the objective. The “sense” is a gift to us to analyze the values of the personality and behave in accordance. Sense creates sentiment that helps to avoid harm to the values possessed deep in the personality. We avoid action or reaction to what is not related to our values. Our Endeavour is to retain our values unharmed is a method to maintain the identity intact but when lost, we loose emotionally means lost everything. Emotion is a reaction to the influence of attraction that contacts our personality. Unknowingly we get attached to others and their objectives; the attachment is due to the influence of the attraction. We become affectionate, friendly, begin involving deeply and etc; are the reactions called emotional attachment but when hurts that becomes emotional breakup. Our social action and reaction relates of our emotional attitude. The emotional attitude is the reflection of the values possessed deep in the personality and the reaction is in accordance. Our sense works on the basis of the quality we possess that reflects the attitude. I sense emotion in three philosophical features; one is Identity emotion is the Endeavour to protect self values secondly sentimental emotion is submission that involves acting in affection and thirdly Effectual Emotion leaves effect of impression on our personality:

Identity emotion: Each of us maintains self values deep in the conscious are important factors of our personality and becomes sentiment to us. The involvement to protect and live with own values is called sentiment. The sentiment that is possessed deep in the personality is called emotion. Emotion in fact is the process of submission towards the protection of own values and living with it. Emotion is a communication that reflects values of own personality. Emotion has the ability to influence our behavior which contacts external environment. In many instances our emotions come forward to reject or accept certain ideologies as do or do not match with own possessed values. Emotions emerge when we are strongly attached to the principles of our personality. These qualities sense the external environment and assess relation with own values to influence our mind/ body strongly and activate the consciousness. No body would wish to go against own preserved values (emotions) as are the identity and dignity. Emotions are hurt when some one attacks the values (self-respect); this shock is an emotional injury.

Sentimental emotion: Emotion is a form of the submission that involves acting in affection or tender, influenced by the environment and the attraction. Environment and attraction have ability to overpower the person’s consciousness and influence to behave in accordance to the objective. The deep attraction of care, touch, warm, liking, fondness, attachment and love stimulates our conscious to involve affectionately is called emotional involvement. Unknowingly or unconsciously a person gets involved towards the impact of the attraction. Change in the mood/ behavior is due to sentimental value of the objective and the strength of the influence of the attraction. Human mood fluctuates in the circumstances, some times sad, humor, romantic and etc; overpowers our personality to act in relation to the situation. The impact of attraction influences our sense to involve sensitively. When we are sentimental resulted by fascination, for any action we listen to heart rather than brain. We fall in love when our personality gets strongly attracted to the quality that delights us and we get involved emotionally. This is a process of mental submission to accept and appreciate the opposite’s intention of invitation.

Effectual Emotion: Many instances and contacts are so touchy and enticing those persuade our personality to capitulate and become impossible for us to evade or take situation lightly. The mental submission to admire and experience the density is effectual emotion achieved through the external environment when contact establishes with the values of our personality deep in conscious. Many movies/ speeches and other incidences really touch our heart so we are constrained to react to the objective of the happenings. The influence is so strong that makes us to connect with it in depth and react for its objective. Some scenes in the movies are so sad or touchy that makes our eyes roll tear, is the effective strength of that scene which attracts our conscious deeply to surrender.

Emotion is necessary psychological characteristic which involves us for the objective. Can not be defined scientifically and if defined the meaning of emotion would no longer convince, as emotion is mental, philosophical and spiritual. Emotion makes us to submit, entwine, despair, hate and invite to involve deeply. Depth of the emotional involvement relates to the personal ability to absorb and resist. Many are too powerful personalities so emotions do not reflect easily as the attraction is not strong enough for them to pull towards its objectives. On the other hand some are weak enough to take things to heart even the slight imaginative incidences, really they are difficult people, such characteristics may be found in many women who live in imaginations.

Mainly introverted people are too emotional to keep incidences in self to reproduce in negative and positive manner again depends on how negative and the positive the person is. Their emotional attitude results to shyness and delay the actions is due to the multiplication of imaginations they go through for the attraction that affected their mind. Emotion is stimulated by many resources but the final objective is to attract and invite to attach in negative or positive depending on the purpose and situation. If the subject is hate worthy will emotionally hate and if favorable would convince to capitulate.

Mainly introverted people are too emotional to keep incidences in self to reproduce in negative and positive manner again depends on how negative and the positive the person is.

Link to this article:
http://www.sadashivan.com/freephotos4ursocialstudy/id48.html

When most people hear the words American Indian, visions of warriors on horses, feathers, or an ‘Indian Princess’ dance vividly in their heads. Instead, who they are is a culture of people who traditionally educate their children through oral traditions taught from generation to generation, day-to-day life, and sacred ceremonies that included song, dance and stories told to them by elders and spiritual leaders in the community.

To give you a better look at American Indian life today I will switch my focus over to the Lakota Nation of South Dakota. Home to such leaders like Black Elk, Crazy Horse and Fools Crow, the land in South Dakota on the Pine Ridge reservation is now the place of a people who remain strong in spirit like their warrior ancestors while trying to live in an economically depressed condition where the unemployment rate can be as high as 85% at times. Many Lakota people on the Pine Ridge reservation live in government housing (or worse), while the children there attend boarding schools run by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding schools were originally set up to try to civilize the ’savages’. The children were forced to separate from their families and community, while at the same time were forbidden to express themselves through their native culture and language. Changes have been made slowly over more recent years- allowing parental involvement and introducing traditional teachings into the school’s curriculum.

Because of the acts done to the American Indian people like genocide and attempts at taking their culture and traditions away, many generations have suffered emotional, mental, spiritual and physical damage. To the Lakota people these four things alone are important to rearing stable, self-sufficient children who can then go on to live productive lives as adults. The damage done through genocide and the rape of their culture didn’t occur just once, but slowly and over time. From generation to generation they have struggled to live in two worlds- that of their people and the one which they were forced into.

Across the board the rates for depression, suicide, many physical diseases and crime are greater for American Indians than they are for any other race. The rate of suicide among American Indians age 10-14 is almost 4 times higher than it is for young people from other ethnic groups. Being raised by parents and grandparents who have endured the repression of their culture over many years definitely has an effect on the youth in their communities.

Of course there is always free will and the ability for each person to make their own choices regarding how they live their lives, but under such circumstances as these, living with a lack of stability and balance, how can these young people make good choices for themselves? I believe that it cannot be done unless they are given something to stand on- a stable foundation for them to fall back on and begin from.

Because the American Indian culture has always been richly-infused with their teachings and spiritual way of life, many psychologists along with native leaders are coming together to bring back the connections for the youth that they so desperately need. This can foster well-being and help to prevent such mental disorders like depression and suicide among the youth in these communities.

In Porcupine, South Dakota, the Children First Corp. run by Ethleen Iron Cloud Two Dogs, is using mainstream treatments in conjunction with traditional American Indian methods. The inipi (purification ceremony) is a sacred ceremony for purifying the mind, body and spirit. By going through this ceremony it gives them a stronger foundation to start with before problems can arise.

The Lakota naming ceremony is traditionally done when a baby is born. They are given a Lakota name that “anchors them to the earth” and connects them to their culture and their family in a deep way.

For children who have suffered more traumatic events like abuse, their spirit can become damaged and actually leave their body, like a disconnection of sorts. In these cases they would hold a ceremony to call back the spirit so it can re-connect with the mind and body.

People like Ethleen Iron Cloud Two Dogs along with mental health professionals, volunteers and Lakota people are slowly connecting the children back with the traditional ways and it has been shown to pay off in recent years. By giving them instruction in the schools about the history and culture of their people along with the spiritual ceremonies and teachings of generations past, they are infusing the children with the stability that they so desperately need for prospering in today’s world.

Once the children can integrate daily living with native traditions so important to their culture and by getting help and support from the adults in the community by fostering that strong family bond, they can keep their mind, body, emotions and physical self healthy and the rates for depression and suicide among them will lesson greatly.

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I have suffered from depression for as long as I can remember. My earliest childhood memories are tainted with the ominous presence of my illness despite growing up in a very loving home with two kinds and nurturing parents. After a divorce in my early thirties, I found myself unable to cope with the feelings of sadness that had permeated my existence and often left me unable to get out of bed. Of course, these feelings had intensified as a result of my divorce, but even well before I knew that something wasn’t quite right. I went to see a psychologist and my doctor, both of whom asked me when my symptoms started. I explained that I was fairly certain they started the day I was born, which both told me was entirely possible. Since that time, I have tried a variety of medications. From SSRI’s to MAO inhibitors, I have tried so many medications that I sometimes felt like a guinea pig. I finally found a medication that worked for me and produced very few noticeable side effects. I am now enjoying life more than I ever have and can honestly say that I feel like I never thought I would or even could.

Enjoying my life now is somewhat bittersweet as I look back over all the years that I spent in depression without even knowing that it wasn’t natural. I knew something was different simply from watching the behavior of others and comparing it to myself, but I always considered it to be my personality or “just the way I am”. I want to encourage others who experience extended bouts of sadness to get more information about depression. There are several resources available on the web, and even your primary care physician can be of great assistance in helping you to determine if you suffer from depression. He or she may recommend that you speak to a specialist.

Had I known that my problem was correctable, I would have spent many more years enjoying my life instead of wondering why everyone else was enjoying theirs. Depression is treatable, and you too can enjoy a happy, productive life.

Visit our site to learn more about Depression treatment You can also learn about other treatments such as bipolar and anxiety treatments

“I was raped when I was 25 years old. For a long time, I spoke
about the rape as though it was something that happened to
someone else. I was very aware that it had happened to me, but
there was just no feeling.

“Then I started having flashbacks. They kind of came over me
like a splash of water. I would be terrified. Suddenly I was
reliving the rape. Every instant was startling. I wasn’t aware
of anything around me, I was in a bubble, just kind of floating.
And it was scary. Having a flashback can wring you out.

“The rape happened the week before Thanksgiving, and I can’t
believe the anxiety and fear I feel every year around the
anniversary date. It’s as though I’ve seen a werewolf. I can’t
relax, can’t sleep, don’t want to be with anyone. I wonder
whether I’ll ever be free of this terrible problem.”

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating
condition that can develop following a terrifying event. Often,
people with PTSD have persistent frightening thoughts and
memories of their ordeal and feel emotionally numb, especially
with people they were once close to. PTSD was first brought to
public attention by war veterans, but it can result from any
number of traumatic incidents. These include violent attacks
such as mugging, rape, or torture; being kidnapped or held
captive; child abuse; serious accidents such as car or train
wrecks; and natural disasters such as floods or earthquakes. The
event that triggers PTSD may be something that threatened the
person’s life or the life of someone close to him or her. Or it
could be something witnessed, such as massive death and
destruction after a building is bombed or a plane crashes.

Whatever the source of the problem, some people with PTSD
repeatedly relive the trauma in the form of nightmares and
disturbing recollections during the day. They may also
experience other sleep problems, feel detached or numb, or be
easily startled. They may lose interest in things they used to
enjoy and have trouble feeling affectionate. They may feel
irritable, more aggressive than before, or even violent. Things
that remind them of the trauma may be very distressing, which
could lead them to avoid certain places or situations that bring
back those memories. Anniversaries of the traumatic event are
often very difficult.

PTSD affects about 5.2 million adult Americans. 1 Women are
more likely than men to develop PTSD. 7 It can occur at any age,
including childhood, 8 and there is some evidence that
susceptibility to PTSD may run in families. 9 The disorder is
often accompanied by depression, substance abuse, or one or more
other anxiety disorders. 4 In severe cases, the person may have
trouble working or socializing. In general, the symptoms seem to
be worse if the event that triggered them was deliberately
initiated by a person–such as a rape or kidnapping.

Ordinary events can serve as reminders of the trauma and
trigger flashbacks or intrusive images. A person having a
flashback, which can come in the form of images, sounds, smells,
or feelings, may lose touch with reality and believe that the
traumatic event is happening all over again.

Not every traumatized person gets full-blown PTSD, or
experiences PTSD at all. PTSD is diagnosed only if the symptoms
last more than a month. In those who do develop PTSD, symptoms
usually begin within 3 months of the trauma, and the course of
the illness varies. Some people recover within 6 months, others
have symptoms that last much longer. In some cases, the
condition may be chronic. Occasionally, the illness doesn’t show
up until years after the traumatic event. People with PTSD can
be helped by medications and carefully targeted psychotherapy.

Ordinary events can serve as reminders of the trauma and
trigger flashbacks or intrusive images. Anniversaries of the
traumatic event are often very difficult. Posttraumatic Stress
Disorder, or PTSD, is a psychiatric disorder that can occur
following the experience or witnessing of life-threatening
events such as military combat, natural disasters, terrorist
incidents, serious accidents, or violent personal assaults like
rape. People who suffer from PTSD often relive the experience
through nightmares and flashbacks, have difficulty sleeping, and
feel detached or estranged, and these symptoms can be severe
enough and last long enough to significantly impair the person’s
daily life.

PTSD is marked by clear biological changes as well as
psychological symptoms. PTSD is complicated by the fact that it
frequently occurs in conjunction with related disorders such as
depression, substance abuse, problems of memory and cognition,
and other problems of physical and mental health. The disorder
is also associated with impairment of the person’s ability to
function in social or family life, including occupational
instability, marital problems and divorces, family discord, and
difficulties in parenting. Understanding PTSD

PTSD is not a new disorder. There are written accounts of
similar symptoms that go back to ancient times, and there is
clear documentation in the historical medical literature
starting with the Civil War, when a PTSD-like disorder was known
as “Da Costa’s Syndrome.” There are particularly good
descriptions of posttraumatic stress symptoms in the medical
literature on combat veterans of World War II and on Holocaust
survivors.

Careful research and documentation of PTSD began in earnest
after the Vietnam War. The National Vietnam Veterans
Readjustment Study estimated in 1988 that the prevalence of PTSD
in that group was 15.2% at that time and that 30% had
experienced the disorder at some point since returning from
Vietnam.

PTSD has subsequently been observed in all veteran populations
that have been studied, including World War II, Korean conflict,
and Persian Gulf populations, and in United Nations peacekeeping
forces deployed to other war zones around the world. There are
remarkably similar findings of PTSD in military veterans in
other countries. For example, Australian Vietnam veterans
experience many of the same symptoms that American Vietnam
veterans experience. PTSD is not only a problem for veterans,
however. Although there are unique cultural- and gender-based
aspects of the disorder, it occurs in men and women, adults and
children, Western and non-Western cultural groups, and all
socioeconomic strata. A national study of American civilians
conducted in 1995 estimated that the lifetime prevalence of PTSD
was 5% in men and 10% in women. How does PTSD develop?

Most people who are exposed to a traumatic, stressful event
experience some of the symptoms of PTSD in the days and weeks
following exposure. Available data suggest that about 8% of men
and 20% of women go on to develop PTSD, and roughly 30% of these
individuals develop a chronic form that persists throughout
their lifetimes.

The course of chronic PTSD usually involves periods of symptom
increase followed by remission or decrease, although some
individuals may experience symptoms that are unremitting and
severe. Some older veterans, who report a lifetime of only mild
symptoms, experience significant increases in symptoms following
retirement, severe medical illness in themselves or their
spouses, or reminders of their military service (such as
reunions or media broadcasts of the anniversaries of war
events). How is PTSD assessed?

In recent years, a great deal of research has been aimed at
developing and testing reliable assessment tools. It is
generally thought that the best way to diagnose PTSD-or any
psychiatric disorder, for that matter-is to combine findings
from structured interviews and questionnaires with physiological
assessments. A multi-method approach especially helps address
concerns that some patients might be either denying or
exaggerating their symptoms. How common is PTSD?

An estimated 7.8 percent of Americans will experience PTSD at
some point in their lives, with women (10.4%) twice as likely as
men (5%) to develop PTSD. About 3.6 percent of U.S. adults aged
18 to 54 (5.2 million people) have PTSD during the course of a
given year. This represents a small portion of those who have
experienced at least one traumatic event; 60.7% of men and 51.2%
of women reported at least one traumatic event. The traumatic
events most often associated with PTSD for men are rape, combat
exposure, childhood neglect, and childhood physical abuse.

The most traumatic events for women are rape, sexual
molestation, physical attack, being threatened with a weapon,
and childhood physical abuse.

About 30 percent of the men and women who have spent time in
war zones experience PTSD. An additional 20 to 25 percent have
had partial PTSD at some point in their lives. More than half of
all male Vietnam veterans and almost half of all female Vietnam
veterans have experienced “clinically serious stress reaction
symptoms.” PTSD has also been detected among veterans of the
Gulf War, with some estimates running as high as 8 percent. Who
is most likely to develop PTSD? 1. Those who experience greater
stressor magnitude and intensity, unpredictability,
uncontrollability, sexual (as opposed to nonsexual)
victimization, real or perceived responsibility, and betrayal

2. Those with prior vulnerability factors such as genetics,
early age of onset and longer-lasting childhood trauma, lack of
functional social support, and concurrent stressful life events
3. Those who report greater perceived threat or danger,
suffering, upset, terror, and horror or fear 4. Those with a
social environment that produces shame, guilt, stigmatization,
or self-hatred

What are the consequences associated with PTSD?

PTSD is associated with a number of distinctive neurobiological
and physiological changes. PTSD may be associated with stable
neurobiological alterations in both the central and autonomic
nervous systems, such as altered brainwave activity, decreased
volume of the hippocampus, and abnormal activation of the
amygdala. Both the hippocampus and the amygdala are involved in
the processing and integration of memory. The amygdala has also
been found to be involved in coordinating the body’s fear
response.

Psychophysiological alterations associated with PTSD include
hyper-arousal of the sympathetic nervous system, increased
sensitivity of the startle reflex, and sleep abnormalities.

People with PTSD tend to have abnormal levels of key hormones
involved in the body’s response to stress. Thyroid function also
seems to be enhanced in people with PTSD. Some studies have
shown that cortisol levels in those with PTSD are lower than
normal and epinephrine and norepinephrine levels are higher than
normal. People with PTSD also continue to produce higher than
normal levels of natural opiates after the trauma has passed. An
important finding is that the neurohormonal changes seen in PTSD
are distinct from, and actually opposite to, those seen in major
depression. The distinctive profile associated with PTSD is also
seen in individuals who have both PTSD and depression.

PTSD is associated with the increased likelihood of
co-occurring psychiatric disorders. In a large-scale study, 88
percent of men and 79 percent of women with PTSD met criteria
for another psychiatric disorder. The co-occurring disorders
most prevalent for men with PTSD were alcohol abuse or
dependence (51.9 percent), major depressive episodes (47.9
percent), conduct disorders (43.3 percent), and drug abuse and
dependence (34.5 percent). The disorders most frequently
comorbid with PTSD among women were major depressive disorders
(48.5 percent), simple phobias (29 percent), social phobias
(28.4 percent), and alcohol abuse/dependence (27.9 percent).

PTSD also significantly impacts psychosocial functioning,
independent of comorbid conditions. For instance, Vietnam
veterans with PTSD were found to have profound and pervasive
problems in their daily lives. These included problems in family
and other interpersonal relationships, problems with employment,
and involvement with the criminal justice system.

Headaches, gastrointestinal complaints, immune system problems,
dizziness, chest pain, and discomfort in other parts of the body
are common in people with PTSD. Often, medical doctors treat the
symptoms without being aware that they stem from PTSD. How is
PTSD treated?

PTSD is treated by a variety of forms of psychotherapy and drug
therapy. There is no definitive treatment, and no cure, but some
treatments appear to be quite promising, especially
cognitive-behavioral therapy, group therapy, and exposure
therapy. Exposure therapy involves having the patient repeatedly
relive the frightening experience under controlled conditions to
help him or her work through the trauma. Studies have also shown
that medications help ease associated symptoms of depression and
anxiety and help with sleep. The most widely used drug
treatments for PTSD are the selective serotonin reuptake
inhibitors, such as Prozac and Zoloft. At present,
cognitive-behavioral therapy appears to be somewhat more
effective than drug therapy.

However, it would be premature to conclude that drug therapy is
less effective overall since drug trials for PTSD are at a very
early stage. Drug therapy appears to be highly effective for
some individuals and is helpful for many more. In addition, the
recent findings on the biological changes associated with PTSD
have spurred new research into drugs that target these
biological changes, which may lead to much increased efficacy .