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28
Dec 2011

Treating Seasonal Affective Disorder {SAD} Naturally

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Seasonal Affective Disorder, commonly and appropriately referred to as SAD, can be quite debilitating.  Like post-partum depression, SAD can be triggered in a way that feels out of nowhere and affects daily life tremendously.  Even people who have never suffered from depression before can be hit hard by SAD and never even realize what it is or why they’re struggling so much.  Ask yourself:

  • Am I feeling atypically depressed?
  • Am I tired and am I sleeping more than usual?
  • Do I feel anxious for seemingly no reason?
  • Is it winter?
If it’s winter time and you answered yes to any of the above, you might be suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder.  Keep reading for a simple definition, symptoms to watch out for, and how to treat SAD.

What is SAD?

Seasonal Affective Disorder, often referred to as SAD, is a form of depression that comes with winter and leaves with spring.  Essentially it hits as daylight wanes and the days get shorter. As much as one-fifth of Americans suffer from SAD, the most frequent victims are those who live up north or in high altitudes since the days are even shorter there.

What are the Symptoms of SAD?

  •  Depression
  • Increased fatigue
  • Sleeping more than usual
  • Feelings of anxiety

How Can I treat SAD?

You can try medications, though some are more helpful than others and almost all carry side effects you may or may not be okay with.  Alternatively, you can try to wait it out until spring since SAD does subside when more sunlight is available.  This is risky, though, because you are wagering your ability to cope for several months on a calendar.  In the contrary, a natural way to treat SAD is to try light therapy which involves purchasing a special light which replicates the rays of the sun. The person suffering from SAD sits in front of this light with their eyes open. This light is not found in normal incandescent household lights, and must be purchased exclusively for this type of therapy.  The light can be moved from room to room or even taken to the office.  A great bonus for light therapy is that it can be bought over the counter and does not have side effects.

* Regardless of which route you take, it’s wise to visit a doctor to talk through your feelings.

Whatever type of therapy you decide to try in your battle against Seasonal Affective Disorder, it is important to keep in mind that it is treatable. Light therapy is one of the most straightforward and natural solutions for people who suffer from this disorder.

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26
Dec 2011

Sound Masking for Nursery & Day Care Facilities

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Sound Masking for 

Kids are loud.  There’s no getting around it.  Whether they’re at home or at play, kids make a ton of noise.  They cry, they scream, they laugh too loud, they tattle, they make believe…they’re wonderful, but they’re loud.  And anyone who has ever spent time with them knows it.  Keeping kids calm and getting them to sleep well is challenging enough with home court advantage.  It gets even harder in nurseries and day care centers because there are numerous kids to balance, all of whom have different needs at different times.

Keeping kids calm and well-rested is extraordinarily challenging in group settings.  That’s where sound masking can really help.  It’s not that these facilities need to boost their productivity like the average place of business, but they do need to cover noise all the same.    Babies and toddlers often cry a lot, while older children have more sophisticated means of being heard, such as yelling or screaming.  Whatever class or facility it is and whatever reason the kids are being loud, the volume level can be quite distracting for other children and certainly for younger kids still needing to nap.

A great solution is a facility-wide sound masking system that employs white noise through speakers in the ceiling.  It can be added to any facility without any aesthetic change.  The result is that a little background noise covers a lot of kid noise so whoever needs to can relax and even fall asleep {and stay asleep!} for a decent amount of time.  If a sound masking system is not in your future, the next best thing is a sound machine for the sleeping areas.  The same principles apply, just on a smaller scale and in a plug-in format.
If noise is a problem for your day care or nursery, give sound masking a shot for improved nap times and more relaxed children.
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21
Dec 2011

Parenthood 101: How to Use a Sound Machine & a Baby Monitor

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The Need for Sleep

Whether you have 1 child or 5, there are certain things that don’t change- like sleep.  Well, sleep changes drastically, but the need for sleep does not.  You still need a solid 8 {or 12, let’s be honest} of sleep a night and throwing in a kid or 2 or 3 doesn’t make that any different.  Most parents are sleep-deprived and some struggle to find their focus.  It might be an unproductive work day or just an irritable day at home with a fussy baby or demanding toddler- whatever it is, we all need good, consistent sleep.

My husband and I use a sound machine in our room for better sleep.  It’s not that we need the white noise itself or even a totally quiet room to sleep in, we just can’t handle all the ambient noise around us: howling wind, thunder storms, barking dogs, neighbor’s bass lines, street noise as car doors open and slam repeatedly, etc…A problem arises, however, when we need to be able to hear our children.  We have a 3 year old and a 5 year old who recently started rooming together in preparation for the arrival of our baby.  We had quite  dilemma- we originally planned to just quit using the sound machine in our room so we could hear whatever child needed us.  Unfortunately, that meant that every time my son {the loudest sleeper on the face of the earth, which we attribute to his ginormous tonsils and tendency to mouth breath, as well as just randomly call out dead in his sleep} made a peep, I was awake.  Then, I laid there awake listening to our college-aged neighbors party until the wee hours of the morning.  No, this was not going to work.  The sound machine went back on the next day after we chatted with the kids- if you need us, come get us!  We did have the caveat that the need had to be legitimate and not just a desire to get out of bed because they love us so much.

Balancing a Sound Machine & a Newborn’s Needs

However successful this new policy was, I was still plagued with how to hear the baby who would be upstairs and not next to us.  Then I had the brilliant idea of using our sound machine but also using a baby monitor for her {this would also work for the other two if I didn’t trust them to get me when they needed me}.  By using the baby monitor, I could still do just that- monitor the baby and not miss feedings, but be able to sleep through the neighbors’ noise and my noisy son.

If you want to use a sound machine but still be able to hear your baby, check out this tip  for using a sound machine and a baby monitor.

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19
Dec 2011

Seasonal Affective Disorder & How to Deal with It

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Feeling sad might be more than a feeling…

Now that Thanksgiving is over and December is upon us, it’s easy to feel “blah” this time of year.  It’s cold, it can be dreary, and there’s less day light.  I live in northeast Scotland, as far north as Moscow.  Yikes.  That’s not a lot of day light- about 7 hours a day.  When you only get a third of the day, all the days start to feel pretty “blah.”  As a result, whether far north or not, many people suffer from depression and lack of energy during this time of year.  While you can blame the weather, there may also be another cause: Seasonal affective disorder (SAD).  SAD is a legitimate form of depression that most often occurs at this dark time of year.  As many as 20% of adults in the U.S. suffer from SAD each year.

Seasonal affective disorder can often be recognized by the following symptoms:

  • Decrease in energy
  • Increase in sleep
  • Feelings of depression
  • Moodiness
  • Anxiety
  • Changes in appetite

Unlike other forms of depression, SAD usually subsides as the seasons change {thank goodness for that!}. However, if your symptoms continue, or if you experience severe depression that keeps you from participating in your daily life, talk to your doctor immediately.

Dealing with SAD

Waiting until spring comes may not sound like the best solution to serious feelings of depression.  As you wait for the groundhog to see his shadow, light therapy is a natural treatment that can help treat seasonal affective disorder.  Light therapy is a legitimate means of counteracting SAD.  Light therapy works by exposing you to bright, full-spectrum light that closely mimics sun light. A short period of exposure, often around 30 minutes, helps modulate the levels Serotonin in your body. Serotonin contributes to feelings of well-being and is often called the “happiness hormone”. It also regulates appetite and sleep.  Happy Light Therapy is a great example of a light box that is small and easily portable so you can use it wherever you are.

Light therapy is a good alternative to simply suffering through SAD, especially when medication does not seem like the best option. Addressing the problem can help you maintain a more consistent mood and motivation level all year long.

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14
Dec 2011

8 Ways to Improve Your Productivity & Efficiency

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I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas…

It’s a weird time of year- Thanksgiving is over, Christmas is looming, and there is a lot to get done…yet, the mind often wanders and attention drifts, and before you know it, the day is gone and very little has been accomplished.  Even when it’s not the Christmas season, full of stress, shopping, visiting family, school programs, and extra activities, the average worker is distracted more than 2 hours every day.  I imagine that number increases during the holidays.

If you find yourself daydreaming, stressing, or just being plain old unproductive, try some of these tips to help you get more out of your day so that when your Christmas break comes, you can actually take a break and not worry about all that you didn’t get done on time.

Tips to increase productivity and efficiency

  • Prioritize your day – Instead of losing the first hour of the day to email and catching up, try to start with the most important tasks first thing in the morning.  Even if you’re not a morning person, you usually are the freshest then and you also ensure that something important gets done.
  • Use white noise – Random office noise, completely unrelated to you and your work, consumes almost two hours a day for most people. Try out this free white noise generator to see if you could benefit from masking the miscellaneous noise at work.
  • Establish a ‘No-Interruption’ Mode – Set aside a specific period of time each day or at least a couple times a week in which you turn off all distractions, including but not limited to Facebook, Instant Messenger, email and even your phone.  You may have to book an unused conference room to make the most of this time.  Then, at the end of your time, take a short break to check your phone and email.
  • Take a break – Get up from you chair and walk around. About once an hour, stretch your muscles, look around and breathe deeply. This will help relieve stress, relax your muscles and increase blood flow to your brain.
  • Drink more water – Your brain is about 75% water. Getting even slightly dehydrated can decrease your productivity and energy by up to 20%. Interestingly, if you feel thirsty, you are already on your way to dehydration!  Thus, keep a water bottle at your desk.  If you’re like me and prefer coffee, tea, or even Coke, try to at least match your other beverage consumption with water.
  • Sit up straight – Good posture one of the most important changes any computer user can make to improve comfort and productivity. The ultimate goal is to maintain a neutral typing posture while using your computer more productively.  Start with a good, ergonomic chair and adjust it to support your body. Move the back rest up or down to find the angle that best fits the curve of your back. Make sure your lower back has enough support, or add portable lumbar support. Lower your chair height so your feet rest firmly on the floor and adjust your arm rests to provide easy elbow and arm movement.
  • Get Organized – Clear off all the clutter on your desk and stop wasting time looking for things. Place the frequently used items, like your phone or stapler, within easy reach. Try using an adjustable keyboard tray to open more space on your desk, and to allow for better typing posture.
  • Upgrade your keyboard – Ergonomic keyboards are designed to help you type faster, more comfortably and more efficiently. Try out several different keyboards to find one that best fits your hands. Give yourself a few weeks to adjust to the new fit and style.

Eliminate distractions by turning off your phone or email, and by adding a personal, free white noise generator to your work. Increasing your comfort with a well-designed, ergonomic chair or upgrading to an ergonomic keyboard can also help you remain productive all day long.

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12
Dec 2011

Tips for Avoiding Holiday Stress

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Ever since being a child, I love the holidays!  Maybe it’s part of being a Texan and having the opportunity to feel cold and maybe see a snowflake or two, or maybe the present,s or maybe the time off school…whatever, it was, I definitely anticipated November and December like no other time of year.  We were very blessed to live close to family and have our grandparents come visit us for the holidays and Christmas morning specifically.

Now, as an adult, and a mother of 3, it’s not so simple.  While I do still adore Christmas and celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, I have a lot more on my mind, too.  We no longer live in Texas, but our families do.  Since we have had kids, we have had to either fly across several states or transatlantically to get back home for the holidays- all with kids in tow!  This is the first year we are not flying “home” but are staying “home” in Scotland.  Both grandmothers are flying out to meet our new little girl, though, so travel is still on the books, as is a lot of advance planning and online shopping since there are so many restrictions on luggage these days!  We are all making online wish lists so we can pay the right currency and ship to the right country for an affordable gift.

This has been by far the easiest Christmas season for me as an adult, so here are some helpful tips I adhered to in order to make it with a new baby even!

5 Tips for Avoiding Holiday Stress

  1. Make lists and prioritize daily.  Make a to-do list of activities you must compete for the holidays.  This list should be specific and date oriented. For example, instead of listing “get for the Christmas party at my house”, break down each aspect of your party with a target date for completion.  The more specific your tasks, the better. Making a general list sets you up to leave something out. Always set the dates early so you’re not in a frenzy to get the task complete.  Review and update your list on a daily basis.
  2. Shop online.  A lot of time is spent driving all over town as you shop.  Make your shopping list early.  Almost anything on your list can be found online. Sit down one evening, take your list, get focused only on shopping, and begin. You’ll be amazed just how much shopping you can get done in only one evening.
  3. Make time for yourself. Even if it is only one or two hours per week, take time for yourself.  Make a list of things you’d like to do that relax and refresh you. Read a book.  Get a massage. Watch a movie.  Whatever it takes to clear your mind and refresh you… do it!  You’ll be rewarded with more energy and a peaceful attitude.
  4. Don’t over-commit.  During the holiday season there are lots of things to do and many organizations and groups clamoring for your time. Choose your activities wisely and commit only to the ones you consider most important. Otherwise you’ll be anxious for the holidays to be over so you can get some rest.
  5. Get a portable sound machine.  Whether you’re the one traveling or you’re hosting, be sure to have a portable sound machine so everyone can sleep.  I find it makes even jet lag more bearable if privacy and boundaries are kept and no one is worrying about how much noise they’re making.

By following these simple tips, like shopping online and having a portable sound machine, you can avoid a lot of unnecessary holiday stress.

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07
Dec 2011

Why You Need a Portable Sound Machine for the Holidays

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Holiday Travel

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and you are facing Christmas.  You may have gotten away with staying home for Turkey day, but with more time off, most families find that they end up traveling for Christmas, or at the very least, hosting visiting family for the holidays.  Having family around is actually a blessing most of the time, but finding the space and doing all the planning can be tricky, if not downright stressful.

So, maybe you have lots of company this month, or maybe you’re the company- either way, getting everyone to sleep and sleep well can be a challenge.  There are different bed times, different routine,s different needs, all based on different ages and people just being different by nature.  From snoring to slamming doors to midnight bathroom breaks to coughing to restful kids to rustling sheets, having company {and being company} is an acoustic nightmare, resulting in grumpy, sleep-deprived individuals.  And who wants cranky children, let alone adults, for Christmas morning?

That’s why I’m sharing my best resource with you- sound machines for sleep.  Even if you’ve never needed one before, having a little white noise as a boundary between you and your guests/hosts provides a little bit of freedom so no one feels badly about the extra noise.  Check out the various applications below.

Sound Machine App #1

If your company is making noise, use a sound machine for your own family.  It will help cover the added noise of extra people so that you (and your children) can still get good sleep.

Sound Machine App #2

If it’s your own children making too much noise for grandma or other visiting kids, why not offer a sound machine to your company?  They can choose a nature sound they like and tune out your own rowdy kids.

Sound Machine App #3

If you find yourself traveling for the holidays, it’s time to consider a portable sound machine.  Chances are, you’ll feel more relaxed and more at home.

Whether it’s for you or your guests, sound machines are a wise investment because they protect everyone’s number one concern: sleep.

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05
Dec 2011

Tips for Working from Home During the Holidays

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How do you work from “home” on the road

Working from home has a lot of advantages- you set you own hours, you can work on your couch in your pajamas, and you’re your own boss.  For me, it means I can raise my children and still get a paycheck.  With all those benefits, there are definite cons to working from home, too.  Being at home means there are a million distractions just waiting to grab your focus- the phone, TV, internet, dishes, laundry, etc.  It’s difficult to balance it all.  To complicate matters even more is when you throw in the holiday season.  Just because it’s Christmas doesn’t mean there isn’t work to do or deadlines to meet.  Plus, most of us end up traveling quite a bit to see parents, grandparents, in-laws, or even grown kids.    So, how do you work from “home” while on the road for Christmas “vacation?”

Tips for Working from Home on “Vacation”

  • Set realistic expectations for what you can get done.  It’s hard to work at the same level somewhere other than home, so either be proactive in your planning or allow some flex room for making up the time elsewhere.  It is vacation after all.
  • Find a spot to work where you can set up and have everything you need to be productive. You may not love your spot, but it’s important you have somewhere to work.  It may be at your host’s home, or you may need to carve out time to leave and hit a nearby library or coffee shop.
  • Talk to whomever you’re staying with and discuss your needs, even your preferences.  Often, your family just doesn’t know what you need (or don’t need) to be able to work.
  • Similarly, it may be helpful to talk with each other and even your kids if they’re old enough to understand what and when you need to work.  It’s never good to assume everyone understands what you need if you haven’t actually said it.
  • Use a fan or a portable sound machine to mask distracting noises, including your own flesh and blood.

With realistic expectations and a good sound machine in place, here’s to returning home having accomplished all that you hoped to!

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28
Nov 2011

Tips for Being Less Distracted {& More Productive} at Work

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Tips for Being Less Distracted at Work

If you find yourself distracted at work, you are sadly not alone.  The average worker loses more than 2 hours every day because of distractions.  There are so many distractions, both internal and external.  Yes, you are to blame for some of your distraction levels.  On the other hand, many distractions come in the form of office noise, of which you are not exactly in charge.  All that being said, here are some tips to deal with distractions so you can improve your productivity at work.

Prioritize your day.  It’s tempting to sit down and open up email and Facebook and all that junk, which unfortunately are quite a time suck.  Rather than waste your time, start every morning by working on a high priority task while you are still fresh and motivated.  Once you really need a break, move onto your less important tasks such as e-mail.

Eliminate self-inflicted distractions! Since you distract yourself, why not try turning off your self-distractions, such as email or phones, and turn on a personal sound machine to block the noise around you. Then apply the same principle as above by spending 30 to 60 minutes focusing solely on a high priority task. Then, take a break to check email and then get back to your distraction-free work.

You can also use white noise to block excessive office noise, instead of wasting time and energy trying to block the extra conversations around us. If you have never used white noise, try out this free white noise generator to see you find it helpful at work.  With white noise, the interruptive sounds and distracting discussions fade into the background.

Stand up and walk around when you start to feel stiff or struggle with concentration. A little movement can relieve muscle strain and increase blood circulation to the brain. A study at USC recently found that standing can increase brain function by 5% to 20%. Dehydration can also decrease your productivity by more than 20 percent, so have a drink of water on your break.

When distracted at work, use a white noise machine to block removing the time-consuming distractions and office conversations so you will feel less stressed, more productive, and also able to leave on time for a relaxing evening.

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23
Nov 2011

Thankful for the Big & Small Things of Life

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On Being Thankful for the Bigger Things of Life

It’s Thanksgiving week, and I am feeling very thankful.  Truly.  We so often say “thank you” for mundane things, such as a funny YouTube clip or having the door held open for us.  We teach our children to say thank you well before they understand the concept.  These are good reasons to say thank you, but are we saying thanks for the bigger things, too?  What are we really, truly, deeply thankful for?

I am thankful for so many things, such as the Lord and my family.  However, on a pretty personal level, I am deeply thankful to work for a company that allows me to honor my values and commitments and help my husband pay for his PhD in Scotland, a company that values honesty and integrity and never asks me to waver on them, a company that has allowed me to work from home so I can stay at home with my 3 children, one of whom is brand new!  I wanted to say thank you to the wonderful people at Speech Privacy Systems.

Thankful for the little things, too…

As for daily life, I have a lot I am thankful for also.  I work from home, even when vacationing, so I appreciate anything and everything that helps me stay focused on work. Namely, I am thankful for my portable sound machine.  I’m not kidding.  It helps block distracting noises, such as the intense wind that seeps its way through drafty windows and chimneys, while I’m working or even trying to sleep.  It also helps my children sleep, especially since they started sharing a room.  Their ability to sleep keeps us all sane- they get the rest they need and I am able to work at night, too.

Thus, in honor of Thanksgiving week, I am thankful for the big and small things in life, including a great job that lets me work from home and also gives me the tools to work from home, such as a sound machine.

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