Going to see Russell Howard in Manchester Arena, half way through the show he made a really important point. Cases of depression and self harm in children and adults are at an alarming level. In actual fact, it might not sound like a big number – but 2% of children endure depression before they even hit puberty. After puberty this rate increased to a rate of almost one in ten children. How can we find out if this child is our child? Well – there are symptoms such as not having fun, extreme difficulty in paying attention and concentrating, sleeping issues and appetite problems. With a teenage daughter, it’s important to know what the potential pitfalls are and how we can help. Help is the word as you can’t prevent everything and wrap your children in cotton wool 24/7. Help is vital to their wellbeing as Psychology Today stated that family led support and improved communication between parents and children have been show to not only treat depression, but actually prevent it. But for anyone else in the corporate world you’ll know that it’s not just our kids who are getting down though, adults have been shown to be unable to cope with the stresses of modern life for an age. Forbes say that there are telltale signs of workplace depression such as an increasing frequency of days taken off due to sickness, a complete loss of motivation, a change in workplace social habits, fatigue and workplace absence for reasons other than sickness. The kicker is right at the end of the article. Depression isn’t just an illness or an issue on paper, because 1 in 10 people suffer from some degree of depression. In fact, nearly ten percent of people will suffer from a depressive illness. This is an issue that needs to be nipped in the bud before it begins. The most important thing to do when depression arises is to consult a professional. However, you can take things into your own hands and self-medicate. Sports could be the answer here. The American National Library of Medicine compiled research on the link between sports and depression and found that sporting activity is a great method of treatment. From biking to running, you can get the entire family started with sports. You should also encourage your kids to go for it and join clubs that foster interests in sports like football and swimming. I can agree entirely with this as I’ve taken my girls out with me on many occasions and the smiles on their faces says it all. It’s the little achievements that make a big difference in a world where achievements are monitored by status and measured by immediate success. But it doesn’t just have to be walking, you and they are into football, take them down to park! Don’t forget to reward them with some trophies though, everyone likes to feel like Cristiano Ronaldo, every once in awhile. It’s not just playing – an active interest in sport is a good idea – even reading things like football articles. It all depends on their interests, but you should definitely do your job as a parent and help your kids develop an interest in getting active. Don’t neglect yourself, though – the gym might be a good idea while the kids are at training – or you could even join your own club and work on your hobbies and interests. While it’s great to veg out every now and again, we should be doing our best to get active. We don’t know if we are doing more harm than good to our bodies, and minds, by lazing around ]]>
Battling Depression with Sport
