You see frequently in advice columns where it is recommended to seek counseling or some kind of professional therapy for a host of human behavior problems.  But how do you decide, when it comes to your own personal situation, when and if it’s time to for you to seek professional help?
One factor to look at is if your usual mechanisms for coping or problem solving are not working, it’s time to seek help elsewhere.  Other signs to look at are the use of substances or sex or food for comfort with an increase in cravings. If any substances or destructive behaviors are controlling you, it’s time to seek help.  Also, there are some natural ways to combat light depression and anxiety, such as herbal remedies for anxiety and depression, but counseling is always recommended by doctors if your issues warrant therapy.

A huge red flag is constantly being unhappy, depressed or with suicidal thoughts.  Uncontrolled anger at friends, co-workers or family members is another sign of psychological trouble. Sometimes, for a major loss such as a death of a loved one, the end of a relationship or the loss of a job, it is necessary to seek counseling.  Major traumas such as being a victim of a crime, sexual or emotional abuse or a life threatening or chronic illness can often be handled better with the professional help of counseling.
Experiencing a loss of interest in things that usually interest you, a loss of appetite or a sense of despair that is ongoing are other signs that you could benefit from professional help.  Anxiety that keeps you from functioning in life and prevents you from doing things that you would enjoy is another sign for needing help.  If your anxiety keeps you from going to parties, dating, getting a job or meeting new people, it’s time to get professional help.
Another sign that you could benefit from psychological help is if you experience physical symptoms of illnesses and doctors are unable to find a physiological cause.  Symptoms such as headaches, gastric distress or fatigue can be rooted in emotional issues that psychotherapy can help you recognize and cope with it.  It’s hard to be objective about yourself and your own behavior.   Often, we want to “tough it out” or think it’s just a phase.  Looking at a list of signs and symptoms can help you differentiate where you could benefit from professional help.

There has been so much negative attention focused on the problems associated with excess sunlight exposure that many people are taking to very high SPF sunblocks almost all the time, and some have become almost like vampires - afraid to go into the sunlight for fear they may practically turn to dust if they face the sunlight without sunblock.  However, many people have forgotten about the benefits of the sun and the fact that even very fair skinned people, unless they have severe sun sensitivity, need some sort of sunlight to survive and thrive.

The reason is that sunlight causes our bodies to produce vitamin D, which is an essential vitamin, and now is being shown to possibly have anti cancer benefits as well, so it’s an important vitamin for your body to make.  Even though there are vitamin D supplements on the market that a lot of people take, these supplements are not the same thing as the stuff the body synthesizes from sunlight exposure, and it must not be a substitute for it.

Also, there are certain mood elevating elements to sunlight exposure that can’t really be duplicated by anything else.  Think about when most cases of depression and anxiety occur - it’s in the winter - in fact, it’s so commonly associated with winter time that there is even a disorder named after it called SADD, seasonal affective disorder, where people actually experience depression and a sense of melancholy that is associated with the lack of sunshine that occurs during the rainy or winter months when sunlight is scarse. 

In fact, also many people receive light therapy to combat SADD.  So, although it is still very important to exercise dilligence in protecting your skin from sun exposure, don’t go overboard and never set foot outside for fear you will get skin cancer.  There are certain health benefits of sunlight, it’s just the most important part that you don’t get burned.  Burning is what can initiate the cancerous cell formation, and this is what should be avoided at all costs. 

Seratonin is one of those things that I kind of knew what it was about, and what it did, but I wasn’t really sure how it was connected to our actual moods or any body functions.  I basically thought it was a major component of the “feel good” chemicals that produce in our bodies - kind of like endorphins, but not quite, and that a lack of seratonin could lead to depression, anxiety, and maybe even excessive hunger since I had heard also of it’s affects on the mechanisms in our brain and body that trigger feelings of hunger.

Well, it turns out I was partially right.  Seratonin is actually the major factor in controlling agression and agressive behavior in humans.  When our seratonin levels are out of whack, this is when we get nasty and can’t control our emotions - maybe like when you get really hungry and feel like you want to tear someone’s head off (well, that’s what I’m thinking anyways). 

Seratonin is also noted as a main factor in the human ability to control impulses that would make us otherwise, well - uncivilized.  I’m sure you know someone who you might be thinking of right now that seems like they can’t keep their emotions in check.  Maybe they explode at the drop of a hat, or they seem to have inappropriate responses to situations all the time.  Well, they may perhaps have a seratonin deficiency.  Actually, many antidepressants are formulated to target seratonin production for this very reason, since it is a major factor in mood stabilization. 

The stabilization of seratonin levels can help to also regulate feelings of anger and agression, and may greatly help people with deficiencies in their interpersonal relationships, especially when agression makes them act out in ways that are not only detrimental to others but also to themselves. 

When depression hits us “normal people”, we often think of it as a mental disorder that only afflicts us, and the rich and affluent could not possibly feel this.  After all, national recognition and money couldn’t possibly go hand in hand with depression!?  Well, that’s not the case, and as a matter of fact, those with money and fame may be a little more inclined to feel cut off and hopeless in many cases. 

A lot of famous people have admitted to struggles with depression including funny man Jim Carey, Kirstie Alley, and even George Clooney after he suffered an injury that he said was so painful he contemplated suicide.  And who could ignore the daily headlines about a very followed pop princess, Britney Spears, suffering with depression, anxiety and possibly a personality or mood disorder?

Depression affects everyone, no matter what your status in society, your socioeconomic place, your family’s background, or the friends and company you keep.  That’s why there are so many resources dedicated to helping find suitable medications and remedies for depression, including natural and herbal remedies for depression and anxiety, therapies that go beyond taking any pills such as cognitive therapy, talking to a therapist without taking medication, and relaxation techniques such as sauna therapy and yoga, among other new age techniques for relaxation and depression busting.

JK Rowling, the famous author of the Harry Potter books, who is now a millionaire many times over, has just come forward and talked about her severe depression before she wrote her first Harry Potter book, but her depression actually was connected to life events and the fact that she felt as a single mother she could not provide for her only daughter after her husband left. 

She now admits that she had such severe depression that she had frequent suicidal thoughts, and that the main reason she seeked help for the way she felt was because of her daughter, and she felt that she couldn’t be a good mother to her daughter in the state she was in.  Look at her now, she’s happy and she’s successful, so she’s a success story of how therapy can help someone who suffers even severe depression.

She pulled herself out of it and went on to write books she loves and enjoy spreading happiness to children everywhere, who the books she writes really connects with. 

I am one of those people who will try every natural and herbal remedy under the sun before I try a “last resort” of visiting a doctor’s office and requesting a prescription of some sort.  The same holds true now, when I find myself being pulled in twenty directions and my only solace is working out my angst and frustration in the gym. 

Since I can’t be on the elliptical or treadmill 24/7 though, I need to find an alternative or herbal remedy for anxiety, so I’ve been looking to see exactly what my options are at this point.  One such option is actually one that I tried before and didn’t work out so well, kava kava. 

I had gotten some of this herb while in California visiting my sister, and used it in a tea form by using it in a teaball and letting it steep a while.  Turns out I may have let it steep a bit too long, because that whole night I had what can only be described as a psychadelic sleep. 

I would wake up about every 1/2 hour, seeing spots in front of my eyes and feeling this odd sense of disconnection and floating.  In other words, not good.  I have not had the courage to try kava kava again after that, although I’m sure that I did not use it correctly or dose it right. 

Other herbal remedies for anxiety use a combination of ingredients which may include passion flower, chamomile, and other typically relaxing herbs.  As far as other relaxants, valerian may be another one that can help ease anxiety and stress.  Certainly better than prescription alternatives which can be toxic over time.