Depression and Goal Setting

When struggling with depression, it can be difficult to find motivation to do anything. However, even small achievements can be beneficial and elevate your mood. Practicing goal setting is a great way to help you find more motivation and make some progress.

Give Yourself Something to Work Towards

Depression can often lead you to feel like you’re stuck and it’s easy to get used to that. When you’re feeling stuck, you eventually need to find a way to start moving forward again. It doesn’t need to happen all at once, but you should begin finding ways to get moving. The main benefit of goal setting is it gives you something to work towards. When you make goals for yourself, you create a plan for your life. This doesn’t need to be a highly structured plan, but even having one thing to work towards can help you find more motivation and happiness in your life. 

Set Small Goals 

When people set goals, they often go a little over the top. They are so excited to set goals for themselves that they tend to create unrealistic goals. With these types of goals, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and like you aren’t capable of achieving anything. This is why you should start with small goals. To help you feel motivated, you just need to achieve something small. Start off by making the goal to eat breakfast everyday or to make your bed or shower. You can make a goal to walk outside everyday. As you regularly accomplish these smaller goals, you can work your way up towards larger goals. Goal setting can become a process that slowly leads you towards being more motivated and feeling happier with yourself and your life because you are achieving your goals.

Reward Your Efforts

As you set and accomplish your goals, you also need to reward yourself. This positive reinforcement will help you want to continue checking off your goals. Additionally, it’s just nice to reward yourself every once in a while. Everyone needs some recognition for their efforts. When you reward yourself for achieving your goals, make sure you give yourself rewards that are beneficial. Your rewards shouldn’t reinforce bad habits or hurt you financially. Come up with a list of rewards that will be easy to obtain and positive to introduce into your life.

Goal setting is a common practice and it can be very effective if you are dealing with depression. Even small goals can help you to feel better about things and it can help you to make more progress. 

Learn more about depression and how you can move forward.

How to Get Better Sleep for Mental Health

Getting quality sleep is beneficial for your health as a whole. However, if you have depression or other mental illnesses, it can be difficult to fall asleep, stay asleep, and get enough sleep. You may need to do more in order to get the sleep you need, but it is absolutely essential to find what works for you.

Create the Right Environment 

In order to get better sleep, you need to start by creating a space where it’s easier for you to sleep. Start by creating the right environment in your room. The room you sleep in should be cold, dark, and quiet as these are optimal sleeping conditions. You can make your room dark by putting up black out curtains or you can sleep with an eye mask on to block out light. Sleeping with a fan on can help to keep the room cold and the white noise can help block out any other sounds. You can also create the right environment by investing in a quality mattress and pillow that suits your comfort level. 

Set Good Habits 

The habits you have throughout the day and before bed can have an impact on your sleep. One of the best ways to help you establish a good sleep schedule is to expose yourself to sunlight earlier in the morning. Seeing sunlight signals to your body that it’s time to wake up and this helps to set your circadian rhythm so then you will feel tired at the appropriate time in the evening. Exercising during the day can also tire you out so you feel ready for sleep at the end of the day. Before bed, make sure you do some relaxing activities like reading to help you get ready for bed. Avoid looking at bright lights, including the blue light from your phone, and avoid eating before bed. Both of these can make it difficult to fall asleep.

Consider Supplements 

While there is a lot you can do to help yourself fall asleep each night, sometimes you need some extra help. This is especially true if you are struggling with a mental illness. Taking certain supplements can help you to fall asleep at night. Melatonin supplements are commonly used because it triggers the hormone, melatonin, that makes you feel sleepy. Melatonin is not habit forming and is used for occasional sleeplessness. You could also use valerian root, magnesium, lavender and more. Always talk to your doctor and do thorough research before you begin taking a supplement. 

Depression and other mental health struggles can have a lot of influence on your health and this includes trouble sleeping. However, sleep can also significantly improve your mental health, so it’s important to find ways to get the sleep that you need. 

To help improve your depression, take a  Self-Assessment to see if TMS treatment can be helpful for you.

How Creativity Can Help Depression

When you are struggling with depression, there are many different treatments and therapies you can try. Additionally, you can find activities that help you manage your depression and overall mental health. Finding ways to be creative can help ease your depression symptoms and find helpful outlets. 

Calm Your Mind 

Many mental health struggles, like depression and anxiety, are accompanied by endless thoughts that can make it difficult to concentrate or even function throughout the day. Being creative is helpful because it gives your mind something to focus on so you are distracted by these thoughts. It can calm your mind and give you some peace. Being creative can also help to reduce your stress levels. When you are creative, your energy is focused on completing one task and it can provide your mind with relief. You can find a creative outlet in many ways including painting, drawing, sewing, pottery, writing, singing, playing music, etc.

Express Your Emotions

Often, it can be difficult to express exactly what you’re dealing with when you experience depression. You may not know how to express your feelings or people might not be able to understand. Creativity is a great way for you to express and process your emotions. Processing any trauma you’ve experienced is an important step in managing your depression. Being creative can give you an outlet to understand your own emotions and work through them. It also helps you find ways to communicate your emotions to other people. As you work through your emotions and find ways to express them, it can help to provide you with much needed relief. 

Boost Your Mood

The act of creating is simply one that makes you happy. When you are creative, you end up with a finished product that you can be proud of. This is a great way to improve your overall mood. Beyond having something to show for in the end, creating can also help you boost your mood in the moment. As you create, you feel happier and you get lost in the moment. You simply enjoy the task you’re doing. It’s important to find tasks that make you happy and allow you to enjoy the moment. 

There is no wrong way to be creative. You simply need to go out and find an activity that allows you to make something new. Creativity can be an excellent outlet for you that will allow you process your emotions and create healthy outcomes in your life. 

Learn more about depression and potential treatments. 

How to Build a Sense of Community When Struggling with Depression

Having a support system or community is an important aspect of managing your mental health. However, it can be difficult to build this community and you may not always be able to rely on those you have in the past. For your own benefit, you should find ways to build your own community. 

Join a Club or Group

To feel more connected to people, it can be helpful to share a common interest. When you share a common interest, it’s easier to have a discussion and to generally get along with people. There are many ways you can find people who share your interests. Joining a club or other similar group is a place to start. Examples of clubs include a book club or a community sports team. Everyone is there because they are interested in the same activity and you can all participate together. When joining clubs and groups, you can meet lots of new people and forge new friendships.

Take a Class

As you build your community, you might as well also build yourself. Taking a class to learn a new subject or skill is a great place to increase your sense of community because you are learning with other people. You also have the opportunity to help each other learn. You can form study groups or get together outside of class to work on the skills you are learning. You can take classes to receive some sort of certification, such as getting a real estate license, or you can learn a new skill in a cooking class. Find something that interests you and learn something new while getting to know other people in similar situations. 

Volunteer

One of the best ways to feel a sense of community and to simply feel good is by volunteering. When you volunteer you have the opportunity to help other people who are struggling. You feel intrinsically rewarded by helping others. Additionally, volunteering helps you to feel more connected to others. Volunteering allows you to get out of the house and be around other people. If you volunteer for the same things, you are likely to make friends and see familiar faces over time. 

Community is important, but sometimes it takes some effort on your part to build that community. There are many steps you can take to help you find your community. You may need to step outside your comfort zone, but it will all be worth it. 

Learn more about how you can manage your depression.

How to Identify Your Anxiety Triggers

If you suffer from anxiety, it’s likely that there are certain things that will trigger your anxiety. This can include things that lead to anxiety attacks or simply make you feel anxious. For your own benefit, it’s helpful to identify these triggers. 

Keep a Journal 

One of the best ways to identify triggers is to look at patterns in your life. Keeping a journal can help you see these patterns. In your journal, you can write about your day overall or you can get more specific. You can talk about things during the day that made you anxious or events that made you uncomfortable. It is helpful to maintain your journal over an extended period of time. This will give you plenty to look back on when you want to identify your triggers. A journal is also helpful so you don’t forget what happens each day. It can be hard to identify patterns and triggers if you don’t remember everything you’ve done and experienced. 

Identify Major Stressors 

Anxiety can often be brought on by major stressors in your life. Typically, these will be fairly obvious but sometimes you may need to think about your life to determine what is affecting you. Examples of major stressors can include moving, separation, death in the family, or any other type of trauma. Your anxiety may also be manifesting if you have a stressful work, school, or home environment or if you experience a great deal of pressure. Take some time to determine what stressors exist in your life. Knowing what causes your anxiety can help you find ways to work around or through your stressors. 

Seek Outside Perspectives 

Sometimes you can’t identify your triggers all on your own. It can be helpful to talk to other people and gain their perspective as well. You can start off by talking to family and friends who know you well. They might have some insight on what they think affects you. Sometimes, the people close to you can observe what makes you anxious when you don’t. In addition to talking to loved ones, you can also talk with a therapist. A therapist is trained to help you work through mental health struggles. They can guide your conversation to help you find what your anxiety triggers may be. 

To improve your mental health, you need to understand your condition and how it affects you specifically. Identifying your anxiety triggers is an excellent first step. When you know what triggers your anxiety, you can find ways to work through it and seek out helpful treatments. 

As you look for helpful treatments, consider looking into TMS Therapy.

Healthy Habits that Improve Mental Health

Whether you suffer from a mental illness, such as depression or anxiety, or you’re simply working through a low point in your mental health, there are habits you can form to help. Establishing healthy habits is a great approach to try before other treatments or medications or even in tandem with other treatments. These healthy habits will benefit your mental health and your body as a whole. 

Prioritize Quality Sleep

Due to busy schedules and the demands of life, sleep is often the first thing to be sacrificed. However, getting enough sleep and getting high quality sleep can greatly improve your mental health. During sleep, your body processes the day and it recuperates. It is also the time when many important processes in the body take place. Cutting back on sleep reduces all its positive benefits. To improve your mental health, you should make sure you are getting 7-9 hours of sleep each night. You also need to be mindful of the quality of your sleep. To get better sleep, try establishing a nightly routine. This helps signal your body that it’s time to sleep. Exercising during the day and getting exposure to sunlight early on can make it easier for you to fall asleep at night. 

Eat a Balanced Diet 

The foods you eat play a major role in your overall health. Everything you eat provides fuel for your body, so you need to make sure you are giving yourself the right fuel. For the sake of your mental health, you want to eat a balanced diet. This means you should be eating fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, etc. every single day. With a more balanced diet, you can make sure you are getting all the essential nutrients. All the food you eat will contain certain vitamins and minerals that can help your body as a whole, but they can also specifically impact your mental health. 

Make Time for Exercise 

It’s no secret that exercise is good for both your physical and mental health. When you exercise, your brain releases chemicals, called endorphins, that make you feel happy. Additionally, exercise can help you feel more energized and it can boost your body image and make you feel more productive. It’s important that you find ways to make time for exercise. Even 30 minutes a day can make a positive impact on your mental health. You can fit in a walk, incorporate exercise into your daily routine, or do a workout at home. Find ways to make it easy for you to get your body moving every day. 

Establishing healthy habits can help you improve your mental health. This can be especially beneficial if you have depression, anxiety, or any other kind of mental illness. These habits can set you on the right track as you explore other treatments. 

In addition to these habits, learn more about helpful treatments such as TMS therapy.

Disorders Beyond Depression that Benefit from TMS Therapy

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) therapy is often used as a treatment for depression. This noninvasive therapy stimulates the brain cells in order to promote positive changes for depression patients. However, TMS can also be beneficial for other disorders and ailments.  

Anxiety 

One of the other most common disorders that can be treated with TMS therapy is anxiety. Individuals with anxiety may experience an increased heartbeat, rapid breathing, feelings of nervousness, and trembling. In many cases, anxiety is associated with depression. There may be a comorbidity or the anxiety may be a result of depression. TMS therapy can treat depression which in turn eases the anxiety symptoms. However, further research has found that TMS therapy can be beneficial as a treatment for anxiety alone. With anxiety, there is usually an increase in cell activity within the brain. TMS therapy can help decrease this activity so you can feel relief from anxiety. Of course, if you are experiencing depression and anxiety, you can still receive treatment for them together. 

OCD

Obsessive compulsive disorder or OCD is a condition where an individual is highly concerned with order, cleanliness, or control. The symptoms vary from person to person and can impact you throughout life. Much like anxiety, OCD is associated with increased cell activity within the brain. TMS therapy can help to slow this activity and improve symptoms. Much like depression, TMS therapy is recommended to individuals with OCD who have not responded to medication or other treatments. Often, it is used to help those who have not seen any significant improvements through other means. 

PTSD

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is often the result of experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. Those who have PTSD may experience flashbacks of the event brought on by certain triggers. PTSD can last months to years and it varies between individuals. TMS therapy is helpful because it focuses on the prefrontal cortex in the brain. This is the area where you process fear. By targeting this area, TMS therapy can help ease the symptoms of PTSD. It also works well when paired with cognitive processing therapy. 

TMS therapy is sustained therapy aimed at helping you improve your mental health. While it is primarily targeted at treating depression, it can be used to treat other disorders as well. It may be worth your time to see how it may help you.

Discover if TMS is right for you!

Why Try TMS Therapy

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation therapy, or TMS Therapy, is a treatment commonly used for depression and other related ailments. This therapy uses magnets to stimulate certain areas of the brain in order to treat symptoms of depression. There are many reasons to consider this treatment.

Looking for Non-Invasive, Non-Medication Treatment 

TMS therapy is a positive option because it is non-invasive. You don’t need to undergo surgery or any other kind of procedure. You simply wear a helmet and may experience slight pressure on the stimulation site. It is treated as an outpatient treatment and you can leave immediately after. In many cases, people may prefer to not rely on medication as a treatment for their depression. TMS is a great option in those cases because you don’t need to be taking any medication to prepare, recover, or benefit from TMS therapy.  

Experiencing Negative Side Effects from Antidepressants 

Many people will turn to TMS therapy because they are experiencing negative side effects of antidepressants. Some of these symptoms can include mild discomfort such as dry mouth, dizziness, or fatigue. However, some antidepressants can lead to insomnia, weight gain, nausea, and even anxiety. Turning to TMS therapy is a helpful way to treat your depression without all the side effects you experience from medication. With TMS, you may have minor side effects, such as a headache, but these side effects are mild and temporary. 

Nothing Else is Helping 

Depression really takes a toll on an individual and it can greatly affect their daily life. Seeking treatment is not only helpful, but necessary in most cases. There are many types of treatment available. Commonly, individuals with depression will be put on some type of antidepressant. There are also many types of therapy that patients will use. These therapies will help individuals talk through negative thought patterns, triggers, etc. Although there are many treatments, not every treatment will work for everyone. TMS may be an excellent option for you if nothing else you have tried is working. It can help provide you with the relief you have not been able to find elsewhere.

Helping you treat and handle your depression is an important step in caring for your mental health and helping you remove barriers in your daily life. As you look for ways to address your depression, you may want to consider TMS therapy. This therapy can help you overcome your depression and any obstacles that have prevented you from treating it previously. 

If you are wondering if TMS is for you, take a self assessment.

What Are TMS Therapy Side Effects?

With most treatments, there are typically side effects to consider. There are several TMS therapy side effects that you should take into consideration as well. Now is the perfect time to review both the good and bad side effects, so you feel more confident in making the right choice for your situation.

Good TMS Therapy Side Effects

• A regulated mood that comes from stimulation to the prefrontal cortex.
• Relief from depressive symptoms that are attained in about half the time as medication and/or psychotherapy.
• Remission of depressive symptoms can be achieved in as little as four weeks of therapy.
• Being free of the negative side effects (insomnia, weight gain, gastrointestinal distress, sexual dysfunction, etc.) that come from taking traditional antidepressant medications.
• Feeling well balanced and able to return to usual activities right away.

Bad TMS Therapy Side Effects

• Headaches are reported in about half of patients, but they are typically mild and temporary.
• Some patients may feel irritating scalp sensations during treatment, but simple adjustments in coil position and stimulation levels usually reduces discomfort.
• There may be a mild tapping sensation felt in the treatment area.
• Lightheadedness, eye pain, toothache, and facial twitching are uncommon, but may occur. Again, stimulation settings can be adjusted to reduce these symptoms.
• Since the TMS machine makes a loud noise, we supply earplugs to avoid any hearing issues.

There is a risk of seizure with TMS therapy, but it is extremely low, especially when up-to-date safety guidelines are followed.

More Context on the Side Effects of TMS Therapy

While both the good and bad side effects of TMS therapy are pretty straightforward, it can help to have some additional context of both sides when trying to decide if TMS therapy is the right option for you.

First, TMS therapy is a safe, non-systemic, and non-invasive solution to reducing or eliminating the symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder with a 6672.5% remission response rate. It is even effective for patients who have not had success with therapy or medication.

Second, the vast majority of patients do not experience the disturbing side effects of TMS therapy. Over-the-counter pain medication can provide relief to those who report only a mild headache or some discomfort on or near the stimulation site. Seizures are extremely rare and are estimated to take place in only one out of every 10,000 patients. 

Finally, it’s important to note that information presented here comes from scientific studies that measure probability- individual responses may differ.

It is important to note that Health Canada has deemed TMS as safe and effective for Treatment Resistant Depression. 

Get Your TMS Therapy Consultation Today!

If you want to love life again, but medication and psychotherapy aren’t working for you, it’s time to try TMS therapy. This very effective treatment can significantly reduce the symptoms of your Major Depressive Disorder when drug treatments don’t work or cause frustrating side effects.

Our welcoming and well-trained staff are ready to help you get started on your journey to recovery, so book your complimentary TMS therapy consultation today!

Does TMS Therapy Work?

Yes, TMS therapy works extremely well. Over 20 randomized, controlled trials have found TMS therapy to work as an effective treatment for major depression.

When treated by a qualified TMS technician, TMS therapy patients enjoy a 66% remission rate for symptoms of major depressive disorder. This is the case even if a patient’s depression has been resistant to antidepressant medication.  

TMS Therapy Success Rate

The TMS therapy success rate is 66% for entering remission from major depressive disorder symptoms. This TMS therapy rate includes patients who have tried and failed to receive benefit from prescription antidepressants. 

What does remission mean when it comes to depression? It refers to symptoms going away completely. However, there is always the possibility for a recurrence of symptoms sometime down the road after TMS therapy. The average length of remission is over one year, but many patients continue to show improvements for far longer. Often patients seek subsequent rounds of treatment because of the great improvement in quality of life enjoyed while in remission.

How Does TMS Therapy Work?

TMS Therapy works by using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) applied to specific nerve cells in the brain from which depression symptoms arise. This is done by placing a helmet containing electrical coils on the head. The coils produce rapidly changing magnetic pulses and charges to penetrate the skull and “excite” the brain’s nerve cells in a repetitive and rhythmic frequency. 

Here is how the process of undergoing TMS therapy works:

1. A patient has a consultation at a TMS clinic to determine if TMS treatment is a good option for their specific case. Alternately, an individual may take an online self-assessment test.
2. A course of treatment is prescribed by a specialized doctor and will include the exact area of the brain to target and the ideal stimulation intensity. 
3. During therapy treatment, a helmet is placed on the patient’s head and adjusted per their prescription. 
4. The patient may feel “tapping” or mild discomfort at the site of stimulation and possibly some mild headache symptoms after treatment ends.
5. Generally, a patient can expect five 20-50 minute sessions a week for 2-6 weeks.

TMS therapy does not require anesthesia. It is a non-invasive, drugless solution to resistant cases of depression. With TMS therapy, patients endure none of the side effects of antidepressant medication such as insomnia, weight gain, nausea, and sexual dysfunction. 

Call for Your Free Consultation

Depression is a serious medical illness that can severely affect a person’s confidence, motivation, and interest in living life by suffering through frequent feelings of intense sadness, anxiety, guilt, fear, and emptiness. Results of suffering from depression include irritability, disturbed sleep, and strained relationships. 

Sometimes psychotherapy and medication can help, but when they don’t, it’s time to consider whether TMS therapy will work for you.

Book a complimentary consultation today with TMS Clinics of Canada and get on the road to remission!