| How to Fight Summer Depression Posted: 24 Jun 2020 01:00 AM PDT Though summertime is often a time of fun and excitement for many people, the summer blues are common to many others, as well. You may have difficulty coping with the heat, body issues, or perhaps memories of past summers that you can't seem to forget. In any case, if you assess the causes, work to beat the depression, and focus on enjoying your summer, you can fight the summer blues. [Edit]Assessing the Causes - Assess potential causes. Many people suffer from sadness or depression during certain seasons of the year, particularly winter or summer. If you are suffering from depression, recognize that you are not alone and begin to consider the roots of your feelings. Consider if the following issues could be at the root of the problem:[1]
- Body issues—many begin to experience depression out of fear or anxiety of having to wear shorts or bathing suits during these months.
- Financial issues—financial pressures can be more intensive in the summer when most are going on vacations, which are typically costly.
- Heat—changes in weather can be at the root of your problem. The heat in many sectors of the world can be so intense that it can significantly lower your quality of life.
- Loneliness—such as from seeing people around you go out and do things with other people.
- Journal your thoughts. Though thinking about these issues is a helpful first step in understanding the issue, you can take it a bit further by writing out your thoughts in a journal or a diary. Many people process their thoughts better when they are on paper; this will also give you the opportunity to revisit your thoughts later to see if your mood and depression have improved or worsened.
- Write out thoughts like "I feel like I am the only person who feels sadness during the summer and like I can't share these thoughts with others. But the heat really affects me and makes me want to avoid the world."
- Talk to someone you trust. Though you may feel like this depression is unique only to you, know that others may be undergoing a similar issue or may be willing to listen even if they are not. Take some time to discuss your feelings with a friend, family member, or other confidant. Be open and honest with them. They may be able to help you or find ways for you to overcome your depression. Let them know what they can do to help you, such as spending time with you, and then you can return the favor to them sometime.
- You might say something like "Hey, I wanted to talk to you about something. I know that most people love it but I tend to get a little blue during the summer. Do you ever feel like that?"
- Even if they say no, you can say "I was just wondering. It's just that I have some body issues and the summer is so beach and pool focused that I find it hard to cope with sometimes."
- Develop a plan to address the problem. Fighting summertime depression can be multi-pronged. Perhaps it's the heat and financial issues that are troubling you. Carve out ways to address these issues so that you can make it through the summer as happy as possible and overcome this depression.
 - If your issues are financial, make a plan to save in the months approaching the summer. Consider getting a part time job if there are certain things that you must pay for, like summer daycare. Cut out any unnecessary spending and consult a financial advisor. They can provide you with advice on how to have more financial stability in general.
- If you have body issues, work on being more body positive. There are body positive blogs out there as well as a body positive community. Know that nobody is perfect; we all have our individual hangups and problem areas. If it is bothering you at other times of the year, consider exercise and having a healthy diet. Seek out a professional such as a personal trainer to help keep you accountable.
- If you have issues with the heat, try to stay indoors as much as possible. Wear light and airy clothing. Stay away from dark clothes. Keep your hair up or cut it short during the summer. Wear open toed shoes. Find enjoyable affordable indoor activities to enjoy during the summer, such as bowling, going to the movies, and visiting museums.
- Consider talking to a professional. Sometimes, the blues may be too hard for you to handle alone, and that is okay. Many professionals are trained to address SAD in others, so make a few calls to professionals in the area to see if they are trained to discuss this.[2]
- Remember that seeking help is never a bad thing; therapy has benefited millions of people.
[Edit]Fighting the Depression - Get on a schedule. Sometimes, depression can arise because during the summer, there may be less or more to do than in the other months. Setting up a schedule for yourself can help alleviate either some of the lapses you have in time or some of the more overwhelming aspects of your schedule.[3]
- Try to fill your schedule with fun activities if you feel that you don't have enough to do. Don't wait to do this. Do it ahead of time so you will have plenty of activities lined up.
- Take some unnecessary tasks off of your plate if you are feeling overwhelmed and work on prioritizing tasks or activities.
- Replace the triggers. Often times, people suffer from SAD because some negative experience or experiences occurred during that particular season in their life in the past. Though these issues may be difficult to get over, you should take some time to think about them, journal them out, and talk to others or a professional. In addition, work to create new memories during the summer to replace this old and bad ones.[4]
- Do fun things with friends or take a memorable trip. If you are dealing with the anniversary of losing a loved one, then see if one of these activities can commemorate them in some way.
- Reflect on the positive memories that you have had in past summers.
- Sleep. Sometimes, people begin to feel depressed because they stop sleeping regularly and enough. You may feel that you have so much to do or so many things on your mind that it is affecting your sleep pattern. However, you should remember that you cannot be at your best unless you have gotten a sufficient amount of sleep. The recommended amount per night is eight hours.[5]
- Commit to going to sleep at the same time each night to assure that you are sleeping enough. Create a routine for yourself to help train your brain to know when to sleep. If insomnia goes on for a long time, then talk to your doctor about treatment options.
- Make a sleep schedule even for the weekends. You don't want to sleep your entire day away or throw off your schedule for the weekdays.
- Exercise. Exercise is a great home remedy to address depression and other mental and physical health concerns. Consider joining a gym or doing some simple exercises around your home. You can YouTube some basic workouts and watch them on your computer, phone, or TV.[6]
- Consider asking a friend to workout with you.
- You can also walk around the neighborhood if it is not too hot for you.
- Say no sometimes. You may have commitments, but remember that it's okay to say no. For instance, if you typically always host a cookout at the beginning of the summer, recognize that it is okay not to this year. See if another friend or family member will do it instead and offer to help out.[7]
- Make tweaks to your home and diet. Enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables that are best during the summer, like strawberries. Consider getting darker blinds if the sunlight bothers you or if you are looking for solutions to the heat.[8]
- Practice yoga and meditation. Yoga and meditation are great ways to relax and destress. Go to a yoga studio or take classes at your local gym. You can also find yoga videos online. Meditation is also a way to cope and to recenter yourself to positivity. Meditate on mantras or quotes that are salient to you.[9]
- Do yoga with a friend.
- A mantra you might meditate on is "I will be happy. I will be positive."
[Edit]Enjoying your Summer - Don't beat yourself up. You may be feeling frustrated with yourself for being depressed or for not having more 'get up and go', but remember that beating yourself up will only make you feel worse. Work to forgive yourself for this depression and also recognize that it is not your fault. Try your best to enjoy your summer, but also make time to take care of yourself.[10]
- Plan something fun. Perhaps your depression is rooted in feeling that you don't have anything fun to do during the summer. Plan a vacation with friends or even set up a few movie nights if you want to be more cost effective.[11]
- Many cities offer free and fun events downtown during the summer. See what your city offers and make plans to go.
- Hang out with friends. Spending time with friends is a great way to overcome the summertime blues. Keep in touch with your friends during the summer by calling and texting them regularly and making plans with them to hang out.[12]
- Accept their offers to hang out and resist the urge to stay home alone feeling blue.
- Consider joining a community where you can meet people and make friends, such as a church or other spiritual group or special interest group in your community.
- Continue your hobbies. One sign or depression is when a person stops doing the things that they typically enjoy. Push back against the urge to quit or be reclusive; continue to do the things that you love so that depression doesn't overpower you. Take breaks when necessary but don't lose sight of the things that make you 'you.'[13]
- If you enjoy certain sports that are typically played outside, see if you can find ways to do that inside, instead. For instance, there are quite a few indoor soccer arenas.
- Be open to new activities as well. If people invite you to join them in activities, then say yes.
- Beat the heat. If you feel that your depression is associated with the debilitating heat that often comes with the summertime, work to stay indoors when you can and stay cool when you cannot. Make plans to hang out with your friends that will be indoors like going to the mall or to the movies. Stay in the shade when outdoors.[14]
[Edit]References |
| How to Draw a Mandala Posted: 23 Jun 2020 05:00 PM PDT Mandalas are circular designs with repeating shapes and they often hold spiritual significance. The word "mandala" comes from the Sanskrit word for circle. Many people find drawing mandalas to be a very centering and expressive activity. To draw your own, sketch a template of concentric circles, and then play around with adding organic shapes and geometric patterns. [Edit]Setting up the Structure - Pick a center point in the middle of a page. If you're going to want to watercolor your mandala at the end, use watercolor paper. Otherwise, regular sketching paper or even printer paper is fine. Pick a point that's roughly in the center of the page. It doesn't have to be exact, but the closer the better.[1]
- Mark the point in the center with pencil so that you can erase it later.
- Use a compass to draw concentric circles around the point. If you don't have a compass, you can make one by tying a piece of string to a pencil. Hold the end of the string at your center point, and drag the pencil around to draw a perfect circle. Continue drawing larger and larger circles with bigger bits of string.[2]
- The circles don't have to be evenly spaced. Some can be farther away from others. They are just a template that will help you later.
- Trace round things to make circles if you prefer. If you don't want to use a compass or a string, just trace round things. Start by placing a small round thing, like a jar, centered at your center point. Trace around it with a pencil. Then remove the jar, place a bowl on the paper, and trace around that.[3]
- Continue until you have made circles that fill up most of the paper, but stop before they are big enough to touch the edges.
- Draw axes across your circles in pencil. With a ruler, draw lines going through the center point of your paper. Draw two lines pointing in the compass directions, and then two lines cutting diagonally across, evenly spaced. This will form eight symmetrical triangles coming from the center point. You will erase these lines later, but in the meantime they can help you line up your shapes symmetrically around your center point.[4]
- If you want your mandala to look more organic and less symmetrical, you can skip drawing these guiding lines.
[Edit]Drawing Your Design - Draw one shape in a ring around your center point. This could mean a ring of flower petals, a ring of triangles, or something else. The shapes should touch the first concentric circle that you penciled in around the center. This will make sure that they are all the same size.[5]
- You can use a pen if you're feeling bold, or you can use a pencil and go over your design later in pen.
- Continue drawing concentric rings of shapes. Experiment with different kinds of shapes. If you've done a bunch of flower-petal looking things, try some triangles or ovals. You can also put in a ring that is just a circle, to divide the inner and outer parts of your mandala, if you'd like.[6]
- Your shapes can overlap with each other, if you'd like.
- Your rings can be different sizes. Some can be very thin and intricate, and some can be big.
- Let loose and relax. As you build your mandala out from the center, try not to think or worry too hard about what you're doing, and get into a calm, creative flow. Focus on your breathing, and your in-the-moment feeling of drawing a mandala.[7]
- Mandala-making can be a very centering exercise, if you approach it in a relaxed way. There is no such thing as a mistake in a mandala, there is just the unexpected.
- Stop making rings before you hit the edge of your paper. This will leave some white space around the whole outside of your mandala, which will make it look calmer than if the design extended off the page. Remember, the outside ring of your mandala, like the other rings, does not have to be a perfect circle.[8]
- For example, if your last ring has been flower petals, then your mandala edges will be scalloped.
[Edit]Finishing up Your Mandala - Trace over your design in pen if you drew it in pencil. As you trace, experiment with making thinner and thicker lines. Varying the line weight can add visual interest and a sense of depth to your mandala. You can switch to a different pen with a heavier weight of ink, or just press down harder, depending on your pen.[9]
- If you've already drawn the mandala in ink, you can skip this step.
- Add fine details within the shapes. At this point, you've drawn all the shapes that you need for your mandala, but you can make your design even more intricate by drawing extra details inside your shapes. Try adding small circles, or leaves, or draw patterns like diagonal lines inside some of your shapes. For a cohesive look, add the designs symmetrically.[10]
- Tear-drops and diamonds are tiny designs that are easy to draw and look intricate.
- Erase your pencil markings once you've inked your mandala. Now that you've finished drawing your mandala design in ink, it's time to get rid off the template of circles you drew at the beginning in pencil. Make sure that the ink has dried before you start erasing, so that you don't smudge the ink.[11]
- Gently wipe away your eraser shavings so that they don't get stuck to your paper.
- You may want to photocopy your mandala before you color it in, so that you can color it in many different times, or give copies to your friends to color.
- Color in your mandala, if you'd like. You can choose to just leave the mandala a simple black and white design, but it can also be quite fun to color it in. You can color in different sections of your mandala with patterns or solid sections of color.[12]
- Use watercolor for a light, gentle look. Just keep in mind that watercolor can easily bleed over lines if you aren't used to painting with it.
- Use colored pencil, crayons, or markers if you prefer.
- Draw lightly with a pencil so you can erase it if you make a mistake.
- The finer the drawing tool, the more refined and detailed your mandala will be. Crayons give a much cruder appearance than fine markers.
[Edit]Things You'll Need - Blank paper
- Compass (optional)
- Round jars to trace (optional)
- Ruler
- Pencil
- Eraser
- Water colors, water, paintbrush (optional)
- Markers or crayons (optional)
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
| How to Make Unleavened Bread Posted: 23 Jun 2020 09:00 AM PDT Yeast, baking soda, baking powder, and egg whites are all traditional leaveners. If you don't want to bake with them because of religious reasons or time constraints, you can still whip up unleavened bread. Roll out thin matzo that crisps up when you bake it in the oven or make flexible roti flatbreads by cooking thinly-rolled discs of dough on the stove. [Edit]Ingredients [Edit]Crisp Matzo - 2 cups (240 g) of all-purpose flour, plus extra as needed
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 g) of kosher salt
- plus of water
- plus of olive oil
Makes 4 large pieces [Edit]Simple Roti Flatbreads - 3 cups (390 g) of whole-wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon (5.5 g) of kosher salt
- of vegetable oil
- of water
- Melted butter or ghee, for brushing
Makes 1 dozen roti [Edit]Baking Crisp Matzo - Place an upside-down baking sheet in the oven and turn the oven to . You'll be cooking the matzo on the baking sheet and heating it ensures that the matzo will become crisp.[1]
- If you prefer, use a pizza stone instead of a baking sheet.
- Mix the flour, salt, olive oil, and water in a bowl. Put 2 cups (240 g) of all-purpose flour into a mixing bowl and add 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 g) of kosher salt along with plus of olive oil. Use your fingers or a spoon to stir in plus of water.[2]
- You can use virgin or extra-virgin olive oil or substitute another oil, such as canola, coconut, or vegetable oil, if you prefer.
- Knead the matzo dough for 4 to 5 minutes. Use your fingers to fold and stretch the dough in the bowl until it pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Keep folding and stretching the dough until it's soft and easy to knead.[3]
- If the dough is still too dry, mix in of water at a time.
- Divide the dough into 4 pieces and roll each as thin as possible. Portion the dough into equal pieces and set them on a floured work surface. Take a rolling pin and roll each piece out so it's as thin as you can make it. If you can, roll the matzos so thinly that you can hold them up and see light coming through them.[4]
- Roll the matzos into any shape you like so they're at least in diameter. Try simple ovals or rectangles, for instance.
- Poke the surface of the matzos with a fork and brush them with oil if you like. Push the tines of a fork into the surface of each matzo piece to prevent them from puffing up too much as they bake. If you'd like the matzos to be golden on top, dip a pastry brush into vegetable or olive oil and brush it over the top of each matzo.[5]
- Lay 1 or 2 matzos on the hot baking sheet. You might be able to fit 2 pieces on the sheet if your sheet is large enough. If it isn't big enough, you'll have to bake 1 matzo at a time.[6]
- It's fine to place the matzos close together on the baking sheet since they won't expand as they bake. Just ensure that the pieces aren't touching.
- Bake the matzos for 3 to 4 minutes and flip them halfway through the baking time. Let the matzos bake on the sheet until they're crisp and brown. To help them cook evenly, use tongs to carefully flip them over halfway through the cooking time.[7]
- Cool the matzos on a rack and store them at room temperature for up to 1 week. Arrange the matzos in a single layer on a cooling rack. Serve the matzos once they're completely cool or put them into an airtight storage container and use them within 1 week.[8]
- The matzos will soften the longer they're stored, so eat them quickly if you like them crisp.
[Edit]Making Simple Roti Flatbreads - Combine whole-wheat flour, salt, and oil in a bowl. Put 3 cups (390 g) of whole-wheat flour into a large mixing bowl and add 1 teaspoon (5.5 g) of kosher salt along with of vegetable oil. Use your fingers or a spoon to stir until the oil is distributed and the mixture is crumbly.[9]
- If you prefer, substitute melted butter or ghee for the vegetable oil.
- Mix in of the water to form a soft dough. Pour of the water and set the rest aside since you may not need it all. Use your fingers or a spoon to stir the mixture until the flour absorbs all of the water and begins to pull away from the side of the bowl.[10]
- If the dough is too dry to stay together, slowly mix in more of the remaining of water.
- Avoid pouring all of the water in at once or your dough might become too sticky to work with.
- Knead the roti dough for 10 minutes. Stretch and fold the dough in the bowl until it's smooth and elastic. The dough will become easier to knead as you continue to work it.[11]
- There's no proper way to knead dough, so try folding and stretching the dough until you find a method that you prefer.
- Don't sprinkle more flour over the dough or it may become too dry to roll out.
- Cover the dough and let it rest at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes. Lay a damp cloth on the dough to prevent it from drying out. Leave the dough at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes so the gluten in the dough relaxes.[12]
- You could also use an overturned bowl to cover the dough.
- Heat a skillet or tawa over medium heat. Set an ungreased or nonstick skillet on the stove and turn the burner to medium. If you have a tawa, an Indian skillet, use this instead.
- Let the skillet or tawa heat while you begin rolling out the roti.
- Divide the dough into 12 pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Pull off the dough to make 12 equal portions. Then, roll a piece in between the palms of your hands to make a smooth ball. Set the balls on your work surface and lay the damp cloth over them.[13]
- If you prefer, cut the dough into 12 equal pieces.
- Roll each ball into a circle. Press down on 1 ball to flatten it slightly. Dip it into a little whole-wheat flour and place it on a flat surface. Then, roll the ball into a thin circle.[14]
- Turn the dough circle as you roll it out to prevent it from sticking to your work surface.
- Place 1 circle in the skillet and cook it for 1 minute. Slowly lower 1 of the rolled pieces of dough into the hot, ungreased skillet. Let the roti cook for 1 minute so it begins to puff up in the center.[15]
- Flip the roti over and cook it for 1 more minute. Use tongs or a spatula to turn the roti over. Cook it until it blisters in a few spots and no longer looks doughy on either side.[16]
- Continue to cook the roti in the skillet 1 at a time.
- Brush the roti with melted butter or ghee. Transfer the cooked roti to a serving plate and spread some melted butter or ghee across the top. Stack the cooked roti on each other and lay a clean dry towel over them to keep them warm.
- Store the leftover roti in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- Many cultures have their own unique unleavened bread. Research different cuisines for variations on unleavened bread.
- Traditionally, matzo for Passover is made in under 18 minutes.
[Edit]Things You'll Need [Edit]Crisp Matzo - Measuring cups and spoons
- Baking sheet or pizza stone
- Mixing bowl
- Spoon
- Rolling pin
- Pastry brush
- Fork
- Tongs
- Wire rack
[Edit]Simple Roti Flatbreads - Mixing bowl
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Spoon
- Skillet or tawa
- Rolling pin
- Tongs or spatula
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]References [Edit]Quick Summary |
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