DEPRESSION:
A new study in JAMA Psychiatry finds strength training (resistance exercise) associated with a significant reduction in depressive symptoms.
“Research suggests that by increasing blood flow to the brain, exercise can change the structure and function of the brain, create new brain cells and trigger the release of mood-enhancing chemicals like endorphins.”
By the way — personal note. The time to do this is when you’re feeling 0-6 on the depressive scale. Once you’re a 7 or above, lifting the toilet paper roll is the most resistance training you can do. So, as with other tips, being proactive is vital. Once you’re in despair, it can feel impossible to say “Ah! Weights today! Gonna feel better! Let’s do this!”
ANXIETY:
A. 40% of Americans feel more anxious today than they did a year ago. They report feeling more anxious about health, finances, safety, politics, and relationships.
Health and Safety were the Big Two, with 68% of Americans saying they felt extremely or somewhat anxious about both health and safety.
B. Fascinating article: Here are 15 signs that you’re an introvert with “High-Functioning Anxiety.” Included: you constantly feel the need to do something, you’re outwardly successful, you’re a perfectionist, you’re afraid of disappointing others. Psych Today points out the anxiety-based foundation for the 15 signs.
C. In Inc Mag., Author Sarah Wilson says Anxiety is an incredibly common trait among entrepreneurs.
“An obsession with the future, which sufferers fear, also predisposes the anxious for startup life. Entrepreneurs ‘are constantly over-attending to things that might happen’,” Wilson says. “They see what is ahead’.”
Wilson then offers entrepreneurs tips on dealing with it.
ANOTHER CREATIVITY/MENTAL ILLNESS STUDY:
A new study in the British Journal of Psychiatry finds that those students in Sweden pursuing artistic degrees such as acting and writing were much more likely to eventually be diagnosed or hospitalized with schizophrenia, bipolar, or unipolar depression.
Specifically, students who pursued such degrees were 90% more likely to be hospitalized with schizophrenia later in life, 62% more likely to be hospitalized for bipolar, and 39% more likely to be hospitalized for depression.
IFL Science looks at this and other studies on creativity and mental health…
“So why does this connection exist?
Well, it’s still not really clear. It could be that creative people are more likely to think deeply and be emotionally unstable, making them more vulnerable to conditions like depression.
Meanwhile, bouts of productivity and high energy are linked to both creativity and bipolar disorder. Lead author James McCabe told New Scientist that the genetics behind creativity might also influence mental health.
“Creativity often involves linking ideas or concepts in ways that other people wouldn’t think of,” he told New Scientist. “But that’s similar to how delusions work – for example, seeing a connection between the color of someone’s clothes and being part of an MI5 conspiracy.”
Big note about this study. This is NOT a causation study. In other words, in no way does it suggest — at all — that the pursuit of those degrees makes you more likely to develop these conditions. Instead, if there’s a relationship, it’s likely correlation. In other words, people who are depressed or have mental illness are more likely to be drawn to certain disciplines.
VERSE of the DAY:
Luke 1:78
Because of God’s tender mercy
The morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,
to give light to those who sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death
and to guide us to the path of peace.
