Working at Home on Your Computer, Your Health, and How to Fight Depression Before it Happens

My rant today is about how to fight depression with preventive measures when you are a person that works at home and work too much.  Internet marketers who work at home are at risk of poor health if they have no boundaries between “work” life and “home” life.

I have always struggled with this.  I could be sitting and watching TV and say to myself, “This is boring.  There’s nothing on TV worth watching.  I’m going to go get my laptop.”  I get started writing an article.  I get fired up.  I end up staying up later than I should because I am not winding down.  I’m letting work intrude on an evening that is supposed to be “time off.”

“What’s wrong with that?” you ask.   Good question, especially since you can be really productive ( in the short term) when you work insane hours.  I suppose that when a psychologist uses the words “insane hours” it could have another meaning, but I just mean working too much.

The point in all of this is that if you have an internet business and work at home, you have to impose some strict routines on yourself for exercise, rest, eating, socializing (NOT on the web), running errands, and … (drum roll, please) going to the doctor at least once a year to have an annual physical exam.  Doing this is not only a good habit for good health, but it helps cope with one of the occupational hazards of the internet marketing crowd:  depression.  Getting regular “well” visits to your physician is how to fight depression before it becomes and issue.

Self-Care, How to Fight Depression, and Learning from History

In the 1980s I worked as a software engineer for a major computer company.  At that time, it was a common joke in the office to point out the super-hero programmers who worked ridiculous hours and always came in on Saturday.  Not that I knew first hand that they worked all day Saturday.  By had friends who told me these things.  These were the serious engineering techies that experienced a deep thrill when a new C++ compiler would be released for the Mac.  Today we might call them nerds.

One of the prevalent sayings at the time was, “Real Programmers Don’t Eat Quiche.”  Instead, the stereotypical image of a “real” programmer was an unshaven, brilliant, 20 or 30 something man with vending machine wrappers littered around his desk and computer terminal.  He rarely went out for lunch with everyone. No, he was important.  He had important tasks to finish.  World peace depended on it.  Besides. real programmer don’t go out to lunch and they don’t eat quiche.  Quiz question for you:  Do you think these real programmers went to their doctor once per year for annual physical?

So after all this long rambling I am finally getting to the point of this article:  Go to your doctor for a physical exam once per year whether you think you need it or not.  And when you are feeling burnt out, discouraged, or frustrated for more than a few weeks, then go see the doctor right away.  You could be experiencing the signs and symptoms of depression without thinking of it in that way.

Six Questions to Ask Your Doctor

The first thing to do is to schedule an appointment with the family doctor for a complete physical.  This is important because there are many possible physical conditions that can generate the signs and symptoms of depression.  A strenuous learning curve for how to fight depression may not be necessary if the signs and symptoms of depression that you are experiencing are caused by a hormone deficiency, for example.

How Sad When the Computer is Down!

There are specific questions you need to ask your doctor.

QUESTION 1:  During the examination, say to the physician,  “I’m wondering if I have the symptoms of depression.  What do you think?”  This will ensure that part of the physician’s time will be spent having a simple discussion with you about what you are experiencing and discuss how to fight depression in a clear, straightforward manner.

It’s useful to understand a little about the purpose of lab work.  A standard part of an annual physical examination is to send a sample of your blood to the lab for various tests.   There are always scores of different tests that the doctor does NOT order the lab to do because of the added expense (for the insurance company or for you) and because many conditions represented by those added tests are relatively rare.

TIP: it’s best to ask the  question about depression near the beginning of the exam, especially before the doctor orders the routine lab tests. The reason for this is simple.  There are various conditions such a anemia or low thyroid that can produce depression symptoms.

Asking about depression near the beginning of the exam allows your doctor to order additional tests on the blood sample that is drawn from you. When you are thinking about how to fight depression, take one of the easier steps right away and ask for a photocopy of the actual numbers of your lab results.

Once it has been diagnosed, the challenge of how to fight depression becomes easier to map out.  This naturally leads to the next question to ask your doctor during your physical examination.  QUESTION 2:  Ask the doctor, “Do you know of a good psychologist or therapist that I could meet with for an evaluation?”   TIP:  although clinical depression is a medical condition, it can be caused by non medical factors that can easily escape the notice of someone lacking specialized training.

QUESTIONS 3:  Additionally, ask the doctor, “Can you explain which antidepressant medications seem to work the best for your patients?”  QUESTION 4:  “If medication is what your patients choose for how to fight depression, what have you found are the pros and cons of the main antidepressants?”  TIP:  ask this followup question, mentioning specific medications by name.  For example, “Can you explain to me the benefits and side-effects of Zoloft, Lexapro, and Cymbalta?

Mentioning the medications by name is important if you are in an HMO insurance plan because doctors are sometimes restricted from telling you about the more expensive medications unless you specifically ask. Also, keep in mind that when someone starts a course of treatment with medication, it will take some time (at least a few weeks) to start feeling the positive effects of the medication.

QUESTION 5:  Also ask, “Are you comfortable prescribing these medications?”  This is important because not all general practitioners have as much training as they would like in order to monitor medication for depression.

TIP:  Before you actually meet with your physician for the exam, make a short list of these questions and others.  Depression makes concentration and memory temporarily less reliable and more frustrating.  A simple list will ensure that you ask all the questions you had been thinking about beforehand.

A final question can be asked just before you leave.  QUESTION 6:  “Is there anything else you can tell me about how to fight depression?”  If you ask these six questions you will have made a good start in learning how to fight depression and as well as acting on what you have learned.  Also, additional tips on how to fight depression can be found at a more specialized website.

Moodiness, anger, and arguments happen in all marital relationships. Every couple has arguments and disagreements. Every couple gets angry now and then – sometimes with each other, sometimes with circumstances of life. When anger is due to hypoglycemic symptoms, then eating a snack becomes more important than marriage councelling. Everyone gets moody now and then and may snap at their loved ones.

But what about when anger or marital arguments boil over into something far more serious?  Uncontrollable anger could be a result of hypoglycemic symptoms and if you or your spouse suffers from bouts of uncontrollable anger, or your arguments get out of hand, it’s possible that hypoglycemic symptoms are messing with your relationship.

Hypoglycemia is a condition where the brain isn’t getting enough of its main food – glucose. Glucose is a sugar that’s produced by the liver and is delivered in steady doses to the brain. This enables the brain to function correctly and to oversee the functions of all of your body’s systems. When the brain isn’t getting enough glucose, it can’t handle its many functions well, and you begin to notice hypoglycemic symptoms. They are:

• Dizziness
• Sweating
• Headache
• Hunger
• Shakiness
• Irritability
• Paleness
• Moodiness
• Clumsiness
• Confusion or lack of concentration
• Tingling around the mouth

You’ll notice that irritability and moodiness are two of the hypoglycemic symptoms on the list. If you add a pounding headache and confusion to the mix, you have the perfect breeding ground for anger. Because the brain is already not functioning well, it doesn’t have the capacity to regulate moods and reactions as well as it would if it were getting enough glucose.

You can see how hypoglycemic symptoms may lead to an angry outburst. Over-the-top anger is bad in any situation and can cause damage well beyond just the immediate outburst. In a marriage, if there are severe outbursts of anger and arguments, the outcome could be damage that is simply not repairable.

It’s important to be checked for hypoglycemia if angry outbursts are common. If the diagnosis is positive, treatment is fairly straightforward and fairly easy. Watching for hypoglycemic symptoms is your first step to ending anger and marital arguments that are just too much to take. Ask for a glucose tolerance test if there is suspicion that you or your partner are suffering from hypoglycemic symptoms.

Even if hypoglycemia is diagnosed and treated, you’ll still have times of irritation and some arguments – this is normal in any marriage. But if you treat the hypoglycemia carefully, you’ll find that the worst of the anger and arguments subside, as do the other hypoglycemic symptoms, leading to a happier, healthier life for everyone.

Starting your own home business can be daunting.  It can consume so much of our energy that relationships suffer.  Most notably, marriage communication can falter because you are spending so much time on the computer, on the phone, or just thinking about all your exciting ideas.  There are even times when marriage councelling (i.e., marriage counseling…see note below) can help in ways that help your business to be more satisfying, if not more profitable.

There comes a point when communication gets stalled.  Have you stopped asking because you think you already know the answer? Or are you so convinced that you communicate well that you finish your mate’s sentences? Sometimes we forget to communicate because we get in a comfort zone that can kill a marriage.

Do you remember when you first met? If you lived at a distance, chances are you ran up quite a large phone bill (or spent a lot of time chatting online). As a new couple, you could talk for hours about nothing.

But over time, the conversations became shorter and less enjoyable. Here you are with those one word exchanges: “Dinner?” “Sure.” “Burgers or chicken?” “Chicken.” You know how it goes.  To change this monotony, you both have to admit that it’s time to re-start your relationship.  Sometimes marriage counseling can give the jump start this renewal process.

Marriage Satisfaction Skills: Why Not Just Wing-it?

Up until the late 20th century, people didn’t go to  marriage councelling as we know it today. They didn’t read books on marriage or watch Oprah. They didn’t talk about Dr. Phil latest episode or go to marriage seminars. So why all this fuss about learning better communication skills, how to have a better sexual relationship, and knowing when it’s time to get marriage councelling?

One of the main reasons is that the structures in society used to support a married couple staying together. In more recent times, there are numerous social forces and economic forces that pull couples apart. Many of the messages about marriage in the media imply or state that the passion and the electricity can only be experienced as an affair, a fling, or a “long-term relationship.” In many ways the marriage relationship itself is under siege. Consequently, married couples who wish to create and maintain and intact relationship are almost asking for trouble if they don’t give time and attention to actively growing their relationship, their communication, their common vision, and their intimacy.

As we head into the 21st century, couples who want to have a lasting relationship cannot afford NOT to take the  time, energy, and money to work on maintaining and improving the quality of their relationship. Avoiding marriage councelling when communication gets boring is like driving your car year after year without maintenance.  Of course not. In western society today marriages generally don’t rejuvenate themselves naturallywithout effort. There are just too many forces such as stress, fatigue, unrealistic expectations, and temptation that create a kind of entropy within the marriage relationship.

Most couples will not need marriage councelling if they build into their routines specific times to pay attention to what is going on in their relationship and make adjustments. Here is one way to do that: Start planning a few weekends per year to get away for a weekend without kids and without anyone else. Spend most of the time relaxing and or having fun together. For 2 or 3 hours of the weekend (not at one time), have a serious discussion about what is happening in your relationship currently and what are some ways to change it. If this seems too intimidating to do then just read about marriage together and briefly discuss what you have read. Agree ahead of time that you what you discuss may raise issues that cannot be resolved in one weekend.

In marriage councelling, the point is to chip away at one or two issues in some intentional fashion that increases your skill-level. But this can be done without a therapist.  (if you can’t do this without marriage councelling, then what does that tell you.  Start with simply identifying what each of you think the issues are. Then start with the easier ones first. Now I’m going end with an uncomfortable observation: If you cannot do this you may actually need some outside help. Why? Because without maintenance you may be just waiting for a crisis to get your attention as a couple. An overheated engine that stops running is not the way you want to be reminded that you haven’t been servicing your vehicle

The upshot to all of this can be expressed this way:   small repairs with or without marriage councelling can save you a lot of frustration and heartache in the years to come.  Especially if the breakdown happens at a very inconvenient time and place (for example, on the freeway at night when it is raining). It’s easier in the long-run to gradually add to your marriage satisfaction skills.

Author’s note:  the incorrect spelling of marriage counseling as marriage councelling is intentional for web indexing purposes.