When experiencing depression, it can be difficult to know the most effective way to treat it. Far too often there is a reliance on antidepressant medication and whilst this works for a minority, very few people experience significant recovery by treating depression through medication alone.

Recently MEEDA came together with the talented Yara Zgheib whose debut novel ‘The girls at 17 Swann Street’ addresses the heartbreaking world of eating disorders and the strength, endurance, and support that is required to overcome a disease such as anorexia.

Yet, even when we are really busy, small changes to our daily routine can help improve our mood, keep anxieties at bay and improve overall mental wellbeing.

We all experience feelings of depression and anxiety at one time or another. Even way back in Ancient Greece, philosophers such as Hippocrates commented on anxiety disorders in their writing. Yet, due to our hectic ‘modern-day’ lifestyles, more people are struggling to cope, experiencing frequent and intense negative emotions and reporting a sense of feeling completely ‘overwhelmed’

We all experience negative emotions at times, but if we don’t handle them productively these emotions can very quickly manifest affecting both our mental and physical health. Often we are caught between knowing that we need to be more open about the way we are feeling (bottling our emotions only has negative effects further down the line) but fearing we will handle these negative feelings in the wrong way.

Anyone experiencing addiction will be familiar with the feeling of going around in circles, that feeling of never being able to break the cycle, of continued ‘good’ periods followed by relapse.

It was a privilege to share my passion with psychology graduates from around the world last Monday 24th of September 2018 in Ubud, Bali.

Up until fairly recently there was a stigma around poor mental health-that it was only something that affected a small percentage of the population, those who were more susceptible to changes in emotion, those influenced in a negative way by the media or those who had experienced extreme hardships in life

How much of your time do you spend over-doing things never taking any breaks because you don’t think you should?

30 minutes mindfulness meditation practice is a great way to start the day. On some days, I’ll start with 30mins of yoga, which I do by myself, and then follow with meditation right after. Not only is this the best way to begin the day full of serenity but you instantly notice how clear your mind is.

Ever asked yourself what a thought is? What about a belief? Do you know that your thoughts will trigger emotions?

We live in peculiar times, where money is no longer enough and too little is a scary thought. Everyone seems to be in some kind of a race, driven to do more, to do bigger, bolder, stronger, better than anyone in order to gain more or win against one another at the cost of our own health.

What is the difference between awareness and self-awareness?

Whenever you are counting on something to happen in a certain way and it doesn’t you are left with a feeling of disappointment or frustration. This is what we call Expectations.

Breathing in through your nose, deeply, while blowing your tummy out, like a balloon and then gently exhaling through your mouth, all the way to the end of the breath.

Taking a moment to take a step back from your busy schedule to sit down without having anything other to do then to simply be with yourself for ten, fifteen, twenty, thirty or more minutes each day, with your eyes closed, is something many of us struggle with.