LifeQual Center

As the temperatures drop and the winter jackets emerge, many people will be diagnosed with seasonal depression, also called seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Amazingly, as the weather changes, up to 10% of people living in northern latitudes will be categorized as depressed. But what exactly is seasonal depression? How is it different from our natural reactions to the shifting seasons? Considered an independent disorder, seasonal depression is a label given to people who rep

Every New Year, we think about what we can do to better our lives and ourselves as we start our new calendar. This year, think about what you can do on a regular basis to better your mental health. Here are a few options to get started: 1. Stand Up to Stigma Feeling ashamed and at fault for something that is out of your control is a weight that no one should have to carry. Stigma can be incredibly challenging to bear. A few people who responded to a Facebook survey feel that

Given the known benefits of regular physical activity, it is shocking that still many Americans are not meeting current recommended physical activity levels. The fast-paced, technology-driven American lifestyle has created a number of personal, environmental, behavioral, and/or physiological barriers to becoming active. Therefore, it is important for both adults and youth to modify or overcome these barriers in order to improve their activity levels. So what is preventing you

The recommended amount of physical activity for adults is 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week or 75 minutes of high-intensity physical activity per week. But what should a person do for the other 6,720 waking minutes of the week? Unfortunately, many people spend those minutes in sedentary behavior. What is sedentary behavior? Sedentary behavior is defined as any waking activity with an energy expenditure of less than 1.5 metabolic equivalents in a sitting or r

The website www.themindfulword.org provides an excellent outline of some of the most popular Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction exercises. Mindfulness Techniques As expected, mindfulness is heavily featured in MBSR techniques. While it’s easy to think of mindfulness as one certain state of mind, there are actually several different ways to practice or engage in mindfulness, with varying areas of emphasis. Focus Mindfulness Practicing mindfulness with an emphasis on focus invo

The reality of stress is that we all deal with it everyday whether we’re old or young, lofty thinkers or practical doers. The person you may know who is a practiced meditator or the yogi that radiates peace is going through stress as well, it is inescapable. We have to learn how to deal with these uncomfortable and distracting symptoms. Yoga and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Who can benefit from Yoga? Several studies have shown Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can i

Chronic pain in the muscles and joints can make life miserable. Standard treatments like ice and heat, anti-inflammatory medications, physical therapy, and appropriate exercises can often ease the pain. But when they don’t, acupuncture is an option with a good track record that’s worth considering. Over the years there has been substantial debate about whether acupuncture really works for chronic pain. Research from an international team of experts adds to the evidence that i

Mindful meditation may offer a measure of pain relief to seniors suffering from chronic lower back pain, new research suggests. The study involved nearly 300 older adults with long-term lower back pain, half of whom were assigned to a two-month mindful meditation course. "Mindfulness meditation is a method to learn how to be fully engaged in the present moment and not let the mind get so easily distracted," explained study lead author Dr. Natalia Morone. She is an associate p