October 24, 2019   •   Volume 12, Issue 43
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Giving ‘Morning Depression’ Less Power

A lot of people joke about not being a morning person.

But sometimes the resistance to getting out of bed—and the mood that goes along with it—is about more than being a typical sleepyhead.

Ever heard of diurnal mood variation? The name binds up the tongue a bit, and sounds fairly scientific, but it’s a typical symptom for many with bipolar.

We like to go by its more basic name: morning depression.

Whether you feel more depressed or simply more irritable in the early hours, with morning depression your mood usually improves throughout the day, which is a welcome relief—until the next morning, of course.

Most likely this is happening because of your circadian rhythm, which regulates your sleep/wake cycle.

Research published in Human Psychopharmacology showed there is considerable evidence that people with depression have a disturbance in their circadian rhythm, and that this is especially true for people who experience morning depression.

That being said, there’s another study, this one in Current Biology, showing that we have some agency when it comes to these disturbances—because we can make lifestyle changes to regulate and stabilize our circadian rhythms.

For example, nightly habits that can lead to positive changes include going to sleep and waking up at the same times consistently, preparing the night before for the next day (lunch packed and clothes chosen for starters), and allowing for extra time in the morning to alleviate any pressures that come with having to make a scheduled appearance at work or elsewhere.

It’s called diurnal variation for a reason—there’s no one-size-fits-all model.

“Learning one’s own pattern and developing a strategy with your health-care team and family,” says Melvin G. McInnis, MD, FRCPsych, “is an essential part of successful management.” Read more >>

Weight Stigma Can Lead to Depression and Binge Eating

July 30, 2019, Mansfield, CT—As many as 40 percent of men report experiencing weight stigma—and that stigma can lead both to more depressive symptoms and an increased likelihood for binge eating.

This comes from research at the University of Connecticut’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity.

“It’s often assumed that conversations about weight loss, poor body image, and dieting are more salient for women,” says Mary Himmelstein, PhD, lead author of the study. “Men are frequently overlooked, but that does not necessarily mean that men are less affected by weight stigma or less likely to internalize negative biases.”

Men who internalized weight stigma also had lower self-rated health. Read more >>

What to Do When People Treat You with Disrespect

I used to feel hurt when people invalidated my feelings, crossed my boundaries, and treated me like I didn’t matter. I’ve learned to reframe my experiences and not take things personally anymore. It’s their problem—not mine!

By Debbie Jacobs

Did you know that no one can disrespect you?

That’s right! No one can disrespect us. When we feel disrespected, what is actually happening is that we take their words or actions personally and we choose to feel disrespected. We assign to our response feelings like invalidation or disrespect. In actuality, we are not. I will tell you why.

You’ve probably heard it before, but it is absolutely true: People’s actions are a reflection of the person they are. They are projecting their behavior onto us.

Learning to not take things personally is so important to our mental well-being and happiness. And when we think people are being disrespectful, invalidating, or rejecting, that is when we are taking their behaviors personally and we make their behaviors about us. Their behaviors are not about us. It may feel like people are acting a certain way because of us, but the way people act is always because of them. Read more >>

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