Tag:

beach

Thankful Thursdays

{Venice Beach, California}

For this week’s Thankful Thursdays, I would say that I am very thankful for one of my best friends from medical school, who flew into town for a quick visit. My resolution for the remainder of the year (mentioned in my previous post) included being spontaneous and free to explore. Surprisingly, in all my years living in southern California, I have never experienced biking along the beaches of Santa Monica and Venice, nor have I ever gone shopping on Abbott Kinney (a well-known boulevard located in Venice lined with trendy/urban shops, earthy/cool restaurants, and more). We had a wonderful time catching up, eating delicious food, and discovering new fixtures in the area that we’d never noticed before. I figure that Los Angeles still has a LOT to explore, therefore, to kick off my resolution, I might as well begin locally!

Thought of the Day: What are you thankful for from this week?

For background information of the reasoning behind my Thankful Thursdays posts, check out my 1st post of the series here! (And subsequent posts here, here, and here).

August 20, 2015 8 comments

Psychiatry

Summertime Sadness

written by freudandfashion

{Santa Monica, California}

I’ve been intermittently unmotivated lately and am trying to analyze the reason why. Then I realize how hot, humid, and sweaty I feel as I scroll Facebook and view photos of my friends’ fabulous summer vacation trips as I sit at my desk all by my lonesome. Perhaps my current mood is triggered by the summer season? If you have a tendency to feel lazy, unmotivated, or depressed during the summer season, you’re not alone. There are several reasons that the summer months may bring about a drop in mood. The good news is that there’s ways to overcome these feelings and bring some pep to your mood this time of year.

What are some potential reasons for the shift in mood?

1. Changes to your regular schedule. Basically, anything that throws off one’s routine can contribute to a change in mood and motivation. The kids are out of school, which means increased responsibilities monitoring them and taking them out on activities to keep them occupied throughout the day (this also means decreased “alone/me” time). And although summer vacations are usually planned and much-needed, it takes time to adjust back to your regular routine upon return. Many also travel to different time zones, which contributes to even more difficulty to readjust.

2. Expectations to have a fabulous summer. Several of us continue to work, attend summer classes, or stay home during the summer months (due to budget, other responsibilities, etc) and with modern life dominated by social media, we are bound to come across our friends’ seemingly exciting vacation photos. Not spending a few weeks in Hawaii or the Hamptons? That’s okay, but one can’t help but feel the pressure and envy to be on vacation especially when it appears that everyone else is jet-setting away.

3. Increased pressures to have the ideal swimsuit body. I used to hate summers in so-cal as there’s nothing that made me more self-conscious than being surrounded by model’esque women in bikinis. I vividly recall skipping out on pool parties as a teen (partially because I didn’t know how to swim) because I was body-conscious and oblivious on how to choose a flattering swimsuit.

4. Summer seasonal depression. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a recurrent depression that is experienced only during a specific season, but is NOT experienced during the rest of the year. Though the prevalence of SAD during the winter time is much higher compared to summer, studies have shown a correlation between summer seasonal affective disorder and higher, hotter temperatures.

5. Losing a sense of purpose during the summer months. People who have time-off during the summer months (ie, teachers, school employees, etc) may have difficulty shifting their priorities from work to something else around this time of year. It’s well-known that utilizing skill and having a career that strengthens and contributes to a person’s sense of identity tends to improve mood. When a sense of purpose is taken away (even if for a few months), one’s mood may decline.

6. Weather change. Some people just don’t like basking in the sun or going out when temperatures are high. Period. But the distaste for heat can lead to social isolation and difficulty leaving the comfort of an air-conditioned home, which can contribute to a decline in mood and lack of motivation. Also, the heat and longer days can cause insomnia, which may cause a decline in energy levels as well.

WAYS TO BREEZE THROUGH THE SUMMER MONTHS

1. Seek help from a professional. If you feel that the summer season is causing impairment in your daily life, then seek help from a professional (physician or therapist). Medications, such as antidepressants, might be an option to help you get through the season. Also, therapy (particularly cognitive behavioral therapy) has been shown to help seasonal depression.

2. Stay active. As I wrote in a previous post, exercise has been shown to be just as effective as antidepressants for the treatment of depression. While on vacation, try to maintain an exercise routine as much as possible. Many people understandably avoid outdoor exercise due to the heat, so consider exercising later at night, early in the morning, or join a nicely air-conditioned gym for a few months.

3. Get some rest! Our circadian rhythm plays a large role in the maintenance mood. Despite the temptation to stay up late, try your best to maintain a regular sleep schedule as variations (especially lack of sleep) contribute to irritability, increased anxiety, and depression. Also, if you’re tired after a busy or stressful day, allow yourself to get some rest instead of overexerting yourself.

3. Keep your environment cool. I’m admittedly cheap at times and avoid turning on the air conditioner unless absolutely necessary, but if the heat makes you moody, then your wellbeing will hopefully prevail as the utmost priority over cost.

4. Don’t let social media bring you down. Keep an open mind and remember that pictures on social media generally display near perfect appearances. Get annoyed by the person in your group who obsessively snaps away trying to obtain the perfect photo instead of engaging in the activity at hand? I get irritated and would love to throw their phone in the toilet, but I exercise restraint. I’d like to think I’ve learned to maintain good boundaries by allotting only a few minutes to take pictures per each activity (if any of my friends or family think otherwise, please let me know). I found this article, which explains the concept of perfection in social media, quite interesting.

5. Carve out time for yourself. I emphasize the concept of self-care so much in my blog that no further explanation is needed, but if so, please refer to my entire blog 🙂

August 5, 2015 10 comments

Personal Psychiatry

Social Toughness

written by freudandfashion

{Ventura, California}

I may be an extrovert, but I grew up struggling with social anxiety and still find myself battling it to this day (if this combination of extrovert/socially anxious sounds confusing, you can check out a post I wrote here). I remember being in pre-school and the teacher reporting to my parents that I never talked (I was selectively mute, meaning I kept silent while at school but talked in other environments such as home), which made it hard to befriend other kids. Therapy and pushing myself to be in uncomfortable settings (I took public speaking courses, ran for leadership office positions in high school even though I didn’t speak, and continue to be in group therapy which is extremely difficult for me) have helped me tolerate the anxiety, though I still get overwhelmed each time I go somewhere new or unfamiliar.

The first time I ever ate out at a sit-down restaurant alone was after working late as a post-graduate researcher at UC Davis. I felt nervous and swore everyone was staring at me, but felt accomplished after finishing my meal and leaving the restaurant. Even though I work part-time, I usually spend my off-days running errands, cleaning, blogging, catching up with paperwork, etc…most of the time staying at home in my comfort zone. I try to plan solo outings every once in awhile to reinforce my copings skills, so this week, I decided to take a break and enjoy an outing alone for at least a few hours with no responsibility and no to-do list except to explore downtown Ventura. I remember the fun days of residency when my friends and I would explore random towns in Oregon, though I hardly get the opportunity to do the same since moving back to southern California (showing friends around Hollywood and all the LA touristy spots doesn’t count).

I’ve had several patients whom I’ve helped work through their symptoms of social anxiety and it’s always rewarding to hear them tell me about their recent outings. So here’s a few pictures that I took from my solo outing this week:

{Shopping for a good cause}

{windy Ventura Pier selfie}

Thought of the Day: If you struggle with anxiety, which techniques have you found helpful to overcome it?

May 14, 2015 11 comments

Personal

Lessons of the Week

written by freudandfashion

{Playa Del Rey, California}

If you read my last post, you’ll know that my mood has been a bit off this week. Yet, now that it’s Friday, I can reflect on the positive lessons I learned from the experience.

1. Be cautious of making any crucial decisions when you’re feeling emotionally off. Let’s just say that losing control of my emotions led to an impulsive desire to regain control, which manifested as having the urge to make irrational decisions (regarding my job, therapy, and relationships). Fortunately, I gained enough insight and control of my emotions in time before committing to anything!

2. No matter how stressed, angry, or upset you may be, if possible try your best to remain present for others. I felt exhausted during clinic yesterday. Then, one of the last patients on my schedule tells me that I’m the only doctor she has who listens and doesn’t make her feel as if she’s being judged. I was touched by her comment (and I also thought, “wait shouldn’t every doctor be that way?”). I don’t suppress my feelings of lethargy (in fact, if my patients ask, I’ll be honest and tell them if I’m feeling a bit more tired), but I make sure that my energy levels and mood don’t interfere with the connection I have with my patients. If it does interfere with my interactions, then it’s a sign that I’m in need of a vacation!

3. Grief is tough and very confusing. Period. If support is available, please utilize them. It took me awhile to reach out, but I’m glad I did. And I appreciate all of you for reading, commenting, and helping me realize that I’m not alone.

April 17, 2015 6 comments

Psychiatry therapy

Are you ready?

written by freudandfashion

The Great Sand Dune, Point Mugu

I may prescribe psychiatric medications, but the one treatment I advocate for the most is psychotherapy.

Psychotherapy = general term for talk therapy, counseling; meeting with a mental health clinician for support, insight, and development of coping skills for life challenges.

Patients often ask me whether or not I think they should see a therapist. My general answer: “I think everyone can benefit from therapy. I think therapy will help you for (insert reason I believe patient will benefit from psychotherapy here based on my formulation of his/her issues).” However, despite my recommendation of therapy, the more important question is: “Are YOU ready for therapy?”

Here’s a few reasons why I believe this question is so important:

– Therapy can be challenging. As humans, we develop defenses to help prevent us from feeling the full extent of deep, emotional pain. Therapy may lower your defenses, which allows you to experience and process painful emotions in a safe environment. The well-known phrase “no pain, no gain” applies to therapy as well. With pain = growth and healing.

– Talking about yourself can be uncomfortable. You might feel like you’re being judged, which is especially difficult. And if you’re one who loves talking about yourself, perhaps talking about yourself (and not acknowledging others) may be the reason for your problems (a good therapist should be able to point this out).

– You can never predict what might come up in therapy, so being open to the process can lead to development of great insights. There might be times when you want to stop therapy or may question if it’s even helping. Being open to processing your resistance may lead to great insights as well (i.e. any material that comes up in therapy may have meaning and be subject to processing during session).

I write this post not only as a clinician, but also as one who has experienced all I mentioned above in my own therapy process. Even as a psychiatry resident physician, I resisted starting therapy because I feared what I might learn about myself. I grieved the loss of my grandfather, struggled to adapt to my move to Oregon for residency, and felt depressed because I wasn’t performing as well academically, and various other reasons. In effort to avoid therapy, I first turned to exercise, shopping therapy (not the best on your credit card), and talked to friends, which helped temporarily but didn’t help me learn to better cope with my issues. I eventually gave in, faced my fears, and as a result I’m much more self-aware, insightful, and comfortable with myself as a person. I’m also a much better psychiatrist to my patients (nothing makes you more empathetic towards your patients than putting yourself in their shoes and sitting in the patient’s chair).

P.S. Not all therapists are the same. If you don’t have a connection with your therapist, don’t give up on finding the right one! (stay tuned for a future post on how to find the right therapist)

September 25, 2014 4 comments

therapy

Thankful Thursdays

written by freudandfashion

IMGP0257

Malibu Beach

People who meet me tend to perceive me as a positive person, but I’ll admit that I wasn’t always that way. I was quite the complainer growing up and blamed others if things didn’t go my way. My negativity improved through maturation over time, but my four years of psychiatric residency training certainly helped me become more self-aware. Learning about different psychotherapy techniques sharpened my skills even further, and one modality that I use involves Positive Psychotherapy.

What is Positive Psychotherapy (PPT)?

In a nutshell, Dr. Martin E.P. Seligman spearheaded the development and research of PPT as an intervention for treatment of depression and the theory consists of some of the following concepts:

– focus on the POSITIVE (factors that contribute to happiness and build upon one’s strengths)

– build POSITIVE EMOTIONS (about the past, present, and future)

– identify and utilize your STRENGTHS

for example, if you’re a creative person, do things that bring out your creativity (such as writing, photography, etc). If you’re competitive, consider joining a recreational group or league

– instead of letting your strengths and talents go to waste, apply them towards something MEANINGFUL (such as in your job, community, family, religious institution, etc)

Naturally, this can take a lot of work/effort especially since our minds may automatically take us down a negative spiral in the face of challenge and negativity. With our often stressful and hectic lives, when something goes wrong, it seems like it requires more time and energy to switch to a positive mindframe. With that in mind, Seligman’s team developed a series of exercises to help shift your mind towards more positive thinking, one of which includes listing “3 good things” that went well during your day.

So, with a slight twist and in the spirit of PPT, I created a new series on my blog called “Thankful Thursdays” where I will list 3 things I’m thankful for from the week and I encourage all of you to do the same!

Here’s my list from this week:

1. Took advantage of living a few miles away from the beach and spent some time there to escape the triple digit California heat wave (picture above).

2. I’m thankful for my family stopping by my office to visit and instead of my usual routine of going home to check email and watch tv, I enjoyed quality time with them over a delicious meal.

Dinner in West Hollywood

3. Received a “sign” today which steered me in a different direction regarding a work project. I truly believe that when one door closes, another one opens, so I’m staying focused and optimistic!

On a boat in South Lake Tahoe

What 3 things are you thankful for?

References:

Seligman, M. E. P., Rashid, T., & Parks, A.C. (2006). Positive psychotherapy. American Psychologist, 61, 774-778.

Photo Credits: Marlon Santos (Diamond Reel Media), Alex Manipod

Disclaimer: this post describes one therapeutic technique and should not be used to replace treatment with your primary clinicians

September 18, 2014 9 comments