The true face of depression is well-hidden. Whether it’s at home in bed or covered up by a smile in public, most people rarely see what depression really looks like. This keeps the debilitating disorder shrouded in mystery and misconception. That’s why a recent Facebook post by Katelyn Marie Todd is getting so much attention. Todd posted a photo of herself brushing her hair to reveal the grim reality faced by the depressed.
“I brushed my hair today. For the first time in 4 weeks. It was matted and twisted together. It snapped and tore with every stroke,” Todd wrote on her Facebook page. “I brushed my teeth, too, for the first time in a week. My gums bled. My water ran red. I cried over that, as well. When I got out of the shower, I couldn’t stop sniffing my hair and arms. I’ve avoided hugging people for a while, because I never smell good. I always smell like I’ve been on bedrest for a week. I have no clean clothes, because I’m too tired and sad to wash them.”
According to Pasadena Villa, a network of residential treatment services, poor hygiene is a major red flag for major depressive disorder. “When someone is suffering from MDD, they essentially lose the inability to function productively,” the group’s website reads. “This lack of productivity can interfere with their job, their school work, their chores, etc. It can even interfere with their ability to accomplish even the most basic of tasks, such as eating, cleaning, and, yes, bathing themselves.”
Todd’s post doesn’t just expose people to one of the ugly side effects of depression, but it asks others to have compassion for those dealing with the disorder. “Please be easy on your friends and family that have trouble getting up the energy to clean, hang out, or take care of themselves,” Todd wrote. “And please, please take them seriously if they talk to you about it. We’re trying. I swear we’re trying. See? I brushed my hair today.”
As the economy is in flux, the price of everything is increasing, including dating. According to some reports, an average night out has risen to nearly $200. For this reason and others, a new trend is forming for Millennials and Gen Z that’s been dubbed “solo-maxxing.” While these solo-maxxers are doing activities without a partner, they’re not lonely. In fact, they’re thriving.
Solo-maxxing is one of several “maxxing trends” that have become popular points of discussion on social media. In short, “maxxing” is slang for maximizing and optimizing a specific part of life to its fullest potential. For example, “looksmaxxing” is trying to enhance a person’s physical appearance through beauty routines, exercise, and the like. A person who takes melatonin, puts on a white noise machine, has full blackout curtains in their bedroom, etc. could be “sleepmaxxing.”
In this case, solo-maxxing is a similar maxxing self-care trend that has people reframing singlehood. While the higher price tags for dates and dating apps are a motivator, these solo-maxxers’ main motivation is to achieve contentment through independence without a partner. It’s making living the single life one that is desirable and by choice. Whether it’s burnout from dating or the expense, a survey of 14,380 adults aged 18 to 34 found that life was “more peaceful” when not in a relationship.
The appeal of solo-maxxing is multi-faceted. There is a sense of stability and independence in that you’re on your own. While a person still has to worry about their own finances, goals, happiness, etc., there is no pressure or distraction to shift focus onto another person’s situation as well. Eyes on their own paper. Many of these solo-maxxers are using their non-dating time to learn a new skill, try a new hobby, and/or pursue a passion. They are dedicating their time and resources to make themselves a complete person without needing another half.
Solo-maxxing vs. loneliness
While this is all well and good, it can be easy to just adopt the term solo-maxxing to hide a loneliness issue. The high cost of dating also contributes to the high loneliness epidemic among Gen Z. Other reasons for this loneliness include less physical third-spaces, overall expenses, and social media.
This loneliness shouldn’t be confused with solo-maxxing. After all, maximizing yourself as an unattached person doesn’t mean you’re physically by yourself, you’re just self-focused. Solo-maxxing can look like going to cooking classes so you don’t have to rely on anyone for delicious meals. It can mean signing up at a dojo to learn a martial art. If what you are doing is helping build confidence and isn’t just avoiding people, it is likely a positive solo-maxxing activity.
It is important to fully analyze and be honest with yourself when participating in this trend. If you’re masking loneliness and depression with a solo-maxxing label, you may want to reconsider and seek help. However, solo-maxxing is an option if you are burnt out by the dating scene, don’t want to waste money on potential dates that go nowhere, and have goals that a relationship might hinder.
Who knows? Maybe during a solo-maxxing activity you meet a fellow solo-maxxer and later decide to become duo-maxxers. Even if not, you can still feel confident and complete in life just on your own.
Meditation has been a practice for thousands of years, as early as 5,000 to 3,500 BCE. While typically a spiritual practice, meditation has since become a method to enhance mental and physical wellness. Many use meditation to lower stress and anxiety to feel more calm and grounded. Some practitioners meditate for hours at a time to achieve this, but, according to recent scientific research, they may only need seven minutes.
My brain 🧠 after meditating!! 🧘♀️ did you know that just as little as 5 minutes of meditation can help to boost your mood, destress you and calm your nervous system! 😲 how do you meditate? #meditation#meditate#calm#peaceful
A study conducted by the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences in Bengaluru, India found that while meditation can alter and change the brain over multiple sessions, it only takes around seven minutes for that mental change to peak per session.
“Meditation research has traditionally compared broad states such as ‘rest’ versus ‘meditation,’ but we still know surprisingly little about when changes in the brain actually emerge after meditation begins,” said researcher Malipeddi Saketh to PsyPost. “Many people assume meditation effects require long sessions, yet little work has examined the moment-to-moment temporal dynamics of brain activity during meditation.”
Studying the brain while it’s meditating
For the study, Saketh and his colleagues separated 103 participants into three groups. The groups were separated by their meditation experience, from novices to regular practitioners. In a sound-proof room, they had the participants individually engage in a 15-minute breath-watching meditation. During these sessions, the researchers analyzed their brain activity at a rate of 1,000 measurements per second. They did this using a specialized net of 128 electrodes placed across the scalp.
The researchers also looked at a transitional band called theta-alpha, which ranges from 6 to 10 hertz. This band is said to reflect a calm, focused state when both alertness and relaxation overlap. This is in contrast to 8 to 12 hertz alpha waves, a state of relaxation in which a person is wide awake with their eyes closed.
To track changes in brain activity over time, the researchers compared the data collected during successive one-minute segments against the baseline, which was the first 30 seconds of the meditation session. They also ran a separate analysis comparing a period of eyes-closed rest to the participant’s meditative state.
The results were promising, especially for newbies to meditation. The researchers found that brain changes during meditation were found within the first two to three minutes. They also found that regardless of experience, these brain changes peaked in intensity within the first seven to ten minutes. This means someone could get the benefits of meditation in less time than it takes to watch a YouTube video.
Effective meditation requires less time than previously thought
“From a mental well-being perspective, this is encouraging because many people feel they lack sufficient time to meditate or believe they need to practice for very long durations to experience benefits,” Saketh noted. “Our findings suggest that even brief periods of intentional mental training may begin engaging brain processes related to attention and internal awareness.”
This study means that even if you have little time in your schedule, you can benefit from meditation. According to the Mayo Clinic, meditation can help a person manage symptoms of a wide assortment of ailments. This can range from IBS to high blood pressure. In general, meditation is seen as a good practice for stress management.
While there are several videos online and various venues for professional meditation sessions, beginners don’t necessarily need those at the start. They may not even need them at all.
Meditation tips for newbies
Experts have a few tips to get begin meditating regularly. Set some time aside for meditation, either in the morning to get your day off to a good start or later in the evening to let go of the day’s tension. Meditate in a relaxing, distraction-free spot while seated in a comfortable, upright position. Then, with your eyes closed, focus on the words “breathe in” and “breathe out” as you do so. While you might peak at seven minutes like in the study, you might want to have a full 20-minute meditation session.
If your mind wanders during your session, just acknowledge that it wandered and continue focused breathing. You may want to initially practice mindfulness as you begin your session. Notice what you are feeling, smelling, and what your other senses are engaged with.
This practice can take time to master. Some professionals highlight best practices to help you find what’s most effective for you. It should also be noted that meditation is not a replacement for medical treatment. It’s best to consult your doctor and/or psychiatrist to see if meditation can help you with specific needs.
Meditation may or may not work for you. However, based on this study, it wouldn’t hurt to give it a try for at least seven minutes.
Itchy and irritated eyes are some of the most common reasons that patients visit eye doctors. We have experience in treating the causes of eye rubbing and the consequences, which can require specialized contact lenses or corneal transplantation.
Causes of eye rubbing
Rubbing your eyes is often a reaction that occurs when your eyes feel uncomfortable or itchy.
The most common reason for that itchy sensation is allergic conjunctivitis, which accounts for nearly 50% of itching cases. Allergic conjunctivitis is an inflammatory reaction of the conjunctiva, the clear skin on the surface of the eye. Allergens bind to the surface of cells, ultimately leading to the release of inflammatory chemical molecules that trigger the sensation of itching. People may experience redness, swelling and little bumps on the inside of the eyelids.
Sometimes the urge to rub happens if there is a gritty sensation, dryness or something stuck in our eyes. This is often a symptom of dry eye syndrome, or blepharitis.
The urge to rub the eyes can also occur because the eyelids feel itchy, often from other conditions such as dermatitis, which is an inflammation of the eyelid skin.
Because of the anatomy of the eyelid and the thin outer layer, called the epidermis, it is more vulnerable to irritation from the environment or from contact lenses.
The most serious risk that has been associated with eye rubbing is the development of keratoconus, a condition in which the cornea – the clear window in the front of the eye – becomes progressively thinner and more irregular in shape.
While healthy corneas have a more spherical shape, those with keratoconus become steeper and cone-shaped. Keratoconus often causes high degrees of irregular astigmatism, which is an imperfection in the curvature of the cornea that leads to blurry vision.
Fortunately, keratoconus can now be treated with a procedure called corneal cross-linking, which can halt further progression in many cases. During this procedure, collagen strands are cross-linked together, strengthening the cornea. Many patients with keratoconus need specialized contact lenses to achieve optimal vision, even after treatment.
In the most advanced cases, patients may need corneal transplantation to remove the damaged corneal tissue and replace it with healthy donor tissue.
Other conditions associated with eye rubbing
A corneal abrasion is a scratch in the thin, clear skin that covers the cornea and can be triggered by aggressive eye rubbing or a fingernail that inadvertently touches the cornea. An abrasion is exquisitely painful and usually causes blurry vision. Corneal abrasions require treatment with antibiotics to prevent infection.
Eye rubbing can also cause a subconjunctival hemorrhage. This occurs when rubbing breaks a small blood vessel on the surface of the eye and makes the eye appear very red. While it can look and feel alarming, a conjunctival hemorrhage is essentially a bruise on the surface of the eye and does not cause lasting damage. This condition typically resolves in one to two weeks without any intervention.
Conjunctivitis, commonly known as pink eye, is an infection of the conjunctiva that can be spread by eye rubbing. It can be caused by viruses or bacteria. If you must touch your eyes, washing your hands first is a good practice to prevent the spread of infection. Viral forms of conjunctivitis are highly contagious, so you should be particularly careful about rubbing your eyes if you have had contact with someone with pink eye.
Most people rub their eyes without even realizing it. But there are ways to address underlying conditions that might trigger eye rubbing.
Often, over-the-counter treatments and home remedies can be quite helpful. One treatment that helps address most underlying causes of the urge to itch is to use artificial tears. Pro-tip: Cooling them in the refrigerator helps too!
In cases of allergic conjunctivitis, it’s important to try to avoid the allergen that triggers the symptoms. For example, if allergies are due to pollen, staying indoors, using sunglasses or rinsing off your face after exposure can help decrease allergen load around your eyes.
The next option is to try over-the-counter artificial tears to rinse out the allergens. In general, it’s best to avoid the drops that advertise “get the red out,” which provide temporary relief but carry risks of side effects. Cool compresses can also provide some relief from itching, decreasing the urge to rub your eyes.
If you still find no relief from the itch, the next step would be to try allergy eye drops, which are available with or without a prescription. There are topical treatments that are antihistamines, mast cell stabilizers or a combination of both. Antihistamine eye drops help block the release of histamines, a substance that the body releases after exposure to allergens. Mast cell stabilizers block the breakdown of mast cells – part of the body’s immune system – which helps reduce the release inflammatory chemicals. Combination eye drops help by targeting both mechanisms.
Since there are many options available, it’s helpful to discuss with your eye doctor which one is the best for you. In cases where there are other symptoms of allergies, such as sneezing or a runny nose, an oral allergy medication could be effective for treating all these symptoms. If you have persistent symptoms, a prescription steroid eye drop can be helpful.
If the urge to rub your eyes is not improving with artificial tears, cool compresses or over-the-counter allergy eye drops, it’s time to schedule an appointment with your eye doctor for an evaluation.
