“You can’t stop the wave…

… but you can learn to surf”

- John Kabat Zin

In this issue:

Don’t Get Sad This Winter

End of the Line for Antidepressants

News Round-up

Walking Will Save You Money Too

5 Quick Ways to De-stress (without

alcohol)

Food for Mood—Green tea, omega 3

and tuna

Food for Mood Recipe

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Your Advertisement Here?

For further information contact

Julia Kaye

0300 321 4514 / 07922537646

Julia.kaye@life-surfing.com

3

Don’t Get Sad This Winter

Chill mornings and browning leaves

mark the passage of another Summer.

Soon the clocks will go back. Then we

will baton down the hatches in

readiness for the Winter to come.

For a small number of us, these first

signs of the passage of Summer are

filled with trepidation. Around two

percent of us experience a form of

depression called Seasonal Affective

Disorder (SAD) that is caused by a lack

of daylight.

For those people, the Winter of

2012/13 looks particularly bleak. In

years (like this one) when Summer is a

washout, SAD starts early.

But it isn’t just those with a diagnosis of

SAD who are at risk. The underlying

causes of SAD point to a much wider

problem.

We know for certain that SAD is

triggered by a lack of daylight—the

further away from the Equator you

travel, the more cases of SAD you find.

We are less certain about why this

should be the case. However, it is likely

to be an evolutionary hangover from

those of our mammalian ancestors

that would have gone into

hibernation for the Winter months.

As the nights draw in, this

hibernation hangover makes us more

lethargic and sedentary. We get an

urge to bulk up on starchy and

sugary foods. Sounds familiar?

More than half of us are affected to

some degree by the fading light and

colder temperatures of Autumn.

Getting out of bed in the morning is

that bit more difficult. Work seems to

take that extra bit of effort.

Socialising during the evening seems

to be that bit more tiresome.

Of course, this is only a faint shadow

of the experience of true, diagnosed

SAD. But it may be part of the same

continuum. And there may be a great

deal that the rest of us could learn

from those people who have

recovered from SAD.

The most important lesson to learn is

that sunlight is precious. It is

thousands of times brighter than the

artificial lights that we use to

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illuminate our homes and workplaces.

And it is essential for health and

wellbeing (in addition to warding off

SAD, sunlight is essential to the

production of vitamin D).

But how many of us skip taking a lunch

break? And how many employers

collude with this in the mistaken belief

that they are getting an extra hour of

work for free? In practice, so-called

“desk dining” plays into presenteeism

(being in work but unproductive) that is

thought to cost around £1,000 per

employee per year. If someone is over-

tired through lack of daylight, they may

be at their desk, but their performance

is far from optimal.

In the Winter months, there is little

daylight in the evening, so getting out

during lunchtime is essential.

We can also watch our diets. Our

ancestors bulked up during the

Autumn because Winter was a time of

famine. We don’t have that worry. So

watch out for eating too much starchy

and sugary food.

And if the worst comes to the worst,

and wellbeing slides during the

Autumn, there are always light boxes—

these are appliances that give out 10 to

20 thousand times the light of an

ordinary light bulb. Clinical research

has shown that light boxes provide

relief from SAD and from conditions

like jetlag. And many of the companies

that sell light boxes will offer you a free

trial before you buy.

End of the line for Antidepressants

When AstraZenica’s experimental

antidepressant Targacept failed in

phase III clinical trials earlier this year,

it effectively marked the end of

commercial research into

antidepressants.

Although antidepressant drugs have

been around since the 1950s, it is only

in the last 35 years that they have

become best sellers. Early

antidepressants weren’t popular

because they came with a raft of

unpleasant side effects and were highly

toxic in very low overdose—not

something you want to be dishing out

to a group of people whose condition

makes them prone to suicide.

Then came Prozac. Although not the

first Selective Serotonin Reuptake

Inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant to be

invented, Prozac was the first to be

aggressively marketed in a manner that

set the trend for the next three decades.

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SSRI antidepressants were no more

effective than the older tricyclic (TCA)

and Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor

(MAOI) drugs that they replaced. But

they had fewer side effects and,

crucially, were safe even in very high

overdose. This, more than anything

else allowed the switch from psychiatry

to general practice.

For the first time, family doctors had

access to antidepressants that could be

safely prescribed to millions of people

worldwide.

What followed was the unseemly and

now discredited approach to marketing

that results from the way medicine is

funded.

Several companies quickly launched

“me-too” SSRI antidepressants just

different enough from Prozac to avoid

being sued for patent theft.

Soon the mental health industry was

awash with funds from the

pharmaceutical industry’s marketing

departments. Conferences were

sponsored for psychiatrists and doctors

to learn all about the new wonder

drugs. Celebrities were paid to talk

publicly about their struggles with

depression. Patient groups and

charities were given donations to allow

them to recruit thousands more

members and to maintain campaigns to

raise awareness of mental illness in

general and depression in particular.

For better or worse, most of what you

think you know about mental illness is

the result of the campaigning and

awareness raising that was funded by the

pharmaceutical companies.

Then it started to unravel. It turned out

that SSRIs were far from free of side

effects, and thousands of people were

struggling to come off them because of

withdrawal symptoms. There were

concerns about the safety of SSRIs for

children, and use was restricted

worldwide.

Governments began to tighten the screws

on the pharmaceutical industry,

demanding they sell their drugs cheaper

while also insisting that doctors prescribe

the cheapest drugs first. This means that

someone visiting a doctor with

depression today will be given as generic

version of either Prozac, Cipramil, or

Zispin (costing around £2.00 for a

month’s supply).

With the market flooded with cheap

generic SSRI antidepressants, there is no

profit in further research. So, for better

or worse, the failure of Targacept marks

the end of the antidepressant era.

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News Round-up

Stress is the biggest problem for employers

Work-related stress has become the most common

reason that employers seek occupational

health advice, an analysis of

Department for Work and Pensions

statistics by Legal & General has shown.

(Source: OnRec 7.8.12)

Insomniacs 'should be given therapy not sleeping pills'

Tens of thousands of people with insomnia could be helped to sleep better if NHS staff were trained to provide safe psychological therapies,

according to a leading specialist in the field.

One in four Britons suffers from poor sleep and one in 10 has a sleep disorder, but the vast majority suffer

in silence or turn to potentially harmful drug treatments.

(Source: Independent 18.8.12)

Budget food is Better

According to a survey carried out by the mySupermarket website for the Sun,

the budget packs of a range of common foods proved to be healthier than the full price versions.

The survey found that budget lines

tended to have significantly less sugar, calories and saturated fats.

James Foord of mySupermarket said:

“There is a misconception that you have to spend a lot of money to eat well, but budget ranges are actually often better for you.”

(Source: Sun 6.2.12)

Mediterranean diet improves wellbeing

Eating a Mediterranean diet is good for the mind as well as the body and

improves a person's quality of life, according to researchers. The study found that the consumption of oil-rich

Mediterranean foods, such as fish and seafood, helps to improve overall wellbeing.

(Source: Daily Mail 31.5.12)

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Outdoor exercise better than the gym for wellbeing

Regular exercise outdoors could halve the risk of suffering poor mental

health, according to a Scottish study.

Activities in natural environments

such as parks and forests have a positive effect on stress, mood and fatigue, University of Glasgow

researchers found.

Their study showed that exercising in

“non-natural environments” such as gyms did not protect against poor mental health in the same way

(Source: Scotsman 21.6.12)

Crisis as life expectancy gap widens

The health of people living in the

better-off parts of Britain is improving at a faster rate than those in poorer areas, official figures have revealed.

(Source: Daily Mail 16.5.12)

News Round-up

Is antidepressant use up again?

The number of prescriptions for antidepressants has continued to rise according to government data. However, in an analysis of the data for the life-

surfing.com website, shows that over the same period the cost per prescription has fallen significantly, suggesting (in line with research cited in the article) that

doctors are issuing smaller quantities on a more frequent basis.

Why this should be the case is unclear.

But the fact that the trend is more prominent in Wales suggests that it could be a result of free NHS prescriptions.

(Source: www.life-surfing.com)

Yoga Stress Relief for Soldiers

Faced with the

highest army suicide rates in at least 30 years, U.S.

military officials are examining

ways to help treat psychologically wounded soldiers. A study published in the March issue of the journal Injury Prevention found

the number of U.S. military suicides rose by 80 percent from 2004 to 2008. The increased risk of suicide is linked to combat service in Iraq and

Afghanistan and mental health problems like post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

(Source: Huffington Post 17.5.12)

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Walking Will Save You Money Too

Walking just a mile a day is enough to

reduce your risk of developing serious

illnesses like diabetes, heart disease and

strokes. It is also an important form of

stress relief , and can help people

recover from common mental illnesses.

According to the NHS Choices website,

we should aim to walk around 5 miles a

day on at least 3 days a week if we are to

lose weight and improve our health and

wellbeing.

This might seem daunting. Lots of you

will say that after a busy day, you just

don’t have the time to go for a walk. But

this is a wrong—and expensive—way of

thinking about it.

According to Confused.com 80 percent of

us spend more than £150 a month on

parking fees, with the highest fees

charged in the urban centres where

most people work. Parking companies

bank on our reluctance to walk a mile or

so from the car park to work to make

their profits. Confused.com found that

lower parking charges in the suburbs

mean that walking about a mile into the

centres of our main cities could save

you £700 to £800 a year.

You can take a similar approach if you

use public transport. Getting off your

bus or train a stop or two out from the

city centre can save on your fare and

will help you knock off 2-3,000 of your

recommended 10,000 daily paces.

The more you walk, the greater your

stamina. In time, you may find that you

can walk even further and save even

more money. Indeed, you may even

find that you can leave the car at home

and avoid all of the stress involved in

crawling along at a snail’s pace in the

daily grind of rush hour traffic that

blights so many of our town and city

centres.

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Publications from Life Surfing

Distress to De-stress guided

relaxation CD

Clinical research has shown that

regularly following a guided relaxation

reduces your risk of developing serious

illnesses such as heart disease, and has a

role to play in recovery from stress,

anxiety and depression.

The Distress to De-stress CD has been

created for anyone who needs that

extra something to help them relax at

the end of a stressful day (we even had

the sound engineer nodding off while

mixing the tracks!).

New booklet range

We have also created a new range of 32

-page booklets for anyone struggling

with life’s ups and downs.

Distress to De-stress provides an

introduction to stress management, and

includes information on how you can

cope with life’s stresses.

How to Help is for anyone who is

concerned about a colleague, client,

friend or relative. It will help you

understand common mental health

problems, and show you how to do

the right things to encourage them

to make a recovery.

Depression explains what depression

is, and what you can do to help

yourself recover.

Getting to Sleep is for anyone who

struggles to get off to sleep, wakes

up too early, or spends the day

feeling exhausted. It will show you

the many steps you can take to get a

good night’s sleep.

To find out more or to order your

copies, ring us free on 0300 321

4514

Or visit www.life-surfing.com

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5 Quick Ways to De-stress (without alcohol)

Faced with stress, most of us turn to

quick fixes like alcohol, caffeine,

chocolate, nicotine and sugar. We do

this because we have learned that

these substances provide rapid relief

from short-term stress. And (with the

exception of smoking) there is

nothing wrong with using these

substances in moderation.

Problems start when stress becomes

more enduring.

It is one thing to put in an extra

couple of hours at the office to meet

a deadline, then have a glass or two

of wine or lager to unwind. It is

something quite different to find

yourself sinking several bottles of

wine a day in an attempt to cope

with profound stress. But if this is

what you have learned, what else are

you going to do?

It is important to get into the habit

of using healthy ways to de-stress

before your stress gets severe. Here

are five quick ways to de-stress:

1. Run water over your

wrists. The cooling of the

arteries will have a de-

stressing effect.

2. Slowly eat a square of

chocolate. This is not an

invitation to binge. Rather, you should

really try to focus all of your attention

on the chocolate—how it looks, feels,

smells and tastes.

3. Make lists of things you

have to do rather than

trying to remember them

(and beating yourself up

when you forget).

4. Catch some sunshine.

Daylight is essential to

physical health and mental

wellbeing, and just taking a

break will help you de-

stress.

5. Do something physical

to help your body burn off

the effects of stress and to

release natural de-stress

chemicals.

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Food for Mood

Green Tea Stress Relief

Taking time out

for a cup of tea

has been a British

way of de-stressing

for centuries. But

in recent years

there has been a

growing interest in finding out why tea

should help you unwind. After all,

drinks containing caffeine usually have

the opposite effect.

The de-stress component in tea appears

to be L-Theanine. Research has shown

that this chemical has positive effects on

feel good hormones dopamine and

serotonin.

L-Theanine helps lower heart rate and

blood pressure while under stress. L-

Theanine in the quantities found in an

ordinary cup of tea has also been shown

to promote relaxation.

Green tea is a particularly good source

of L-Theanine, and is preferable to

ordinary tea because of its antioxidant

properties and its potential to lower

cholesterol, and help you burn excess

fat.

Taking a five minute break to sip a cup

of green tea is also a great way of

getting one of your 6-a-day drinks.

Omega 3

Omega 3 oils have a wide range of

health benefits from helping to lower

cholesterol and lowering the risk of

heart disease to improving mental

functioning and combatting stress.

Unfortunately, your body cannot

produce Omega 3, so you have to

obtain it through food—primarily fish.

However, the health benefits of Omega

3 have helped to spawn a massive food

supplement industry that often over-

states your need for Omega 3, and that

sometimes sells you the wrong kind of

Omega 3.

In fact, you can get all of the Omega 3

you need (and the right kind) from

eating a single tin of sardines a week. If

you don’t like sardines, a couple of

portions of tuna, salmon or white fish

like cod or haddock will do.

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Tuna

Tuna is a reasonably cheap, versatile

and readily available food that contains

a range of feel good substances.

Most obviously, tuna (particularly fresh

tuna rather than tinned) is an excellent

source of Omega 3. Tuna is also a

source of vitamins A, B, C and E, beta-

carotene, bioflavonoids, and folic acid.

All of these substances have been shown

to combat stress and to help improve

wellbeing.

Indeed, the University of Bristol’s

Children of the 90s study of 14,500

children born in the early 1990s found

that “tuna-eating children are much

less likely to suffer depression”.

Tuna Recipe

(Tuna Florentino)

397g tin (drained) of chopped tomatoes

1 tsp dill

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Food for Mood Recipe

1/2 chopped onion

1 tbs tomato puree

28g wholemeal flour

113g chopped mushrooms

2x 184g tins of tuna (drained and

flaked)

113g blanched leaf spinach or green

cabbage

285ml low fat natural yoghurt

85g grated cheese

2 tsp cornflour

Preheat oven to 200°C (gas mark 6). Mix

together tomatoes, 1/2 tsp dill, 1/4 tsp

pepper, onion, tomato puree and

wholemeal flour. Stir in the mushrooms.

Carefully stir in the tuna to prevent it

breaking up. Spoon the mixture into a

shallow ovenproof dish. Arrange the

spinach or cabbage on top.

For the topping, mix together the

yoghurt, 1/2 tsp dill, 1/4 tsp pepper, and

cornflour. Pour over the tuna mixture.

Sprinkle with the grated cheese. Cook in

the oven for 35 minutes or until golden

brown.

Serves 4

285 calories per portion

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Life Surfing Workshops

Life Surfing offers two short (2-hr)

workshops:

Distress to De-stress is our bite-sized stress

management workshop for anyone who

wants to develop healthy approaches to

stress.

“I realise now how stressed I was

myself, and people I know too”.

Getting to Sleep is a bite-sized workshop

that will show you how making some

simple changes to your lifestyle and

your daily routine will result in a good

night’s sleep… every night!

Life Surfing offers two 1-day

workshops:

How to Help will help you understand

stress, emotional distress and common

mental health problems, and give you

the knowledge and skills to help

someone overcome them.

Banish your Blues provides knowledge,

understanding and self-management

skills for anyone experiencing the

stress, anxiety and depression that

accompanies life’s ups and downs.

To find out more, ring us on 0300 321

4514 or visit www.life-surfing.com

Sign up to Life Surfing

Sign up to Life Surfing for just £10 per year to receive your quarterly copy of The Wave

and to receive a discount on all of our publications, workshops and groups. Simply fill

out the form below or send your details with a cheque payable to “Life Surfing CIC” to:

Life Surfing, PO Box 4345, Cardiff CF14 8HH

Name:

Address:

Postcode:

E-mail:

Phone:

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About Life Surfing

Life Surfing is a Community Interest

Company (like a charity, but with paid

managers) that was established to provide a

coaching, mentoring and training approach

for people experiencing common life

problems that can cause stress, anxiety and

depression.

Our mission is to help people learn to cope

with life without the need to call on over-

stretched NHS services that are better

deployed to help people with severe mental

illness.

Over the years we have found that there is a

huge amount that people can do to develop

their personal resources and to foster their

own wellbeing. In most cases, the real need is

for encouragement, support, knowledge and

skills. This is what Life Surfing offers.

We have developed a range of training

workshops, publications and a group

programme to give you the knowledge and

skills needed to address life’s problems in a

healthy way, and to promote long-term

wellbeing.

For further information, please visit the Life

Surfing website:

www.life-surfing.com

Or you can contact us on:

0300 321 4514/07922 537 646

info@life-surfing.com

15

Your Advertisement Here?

For further information contact

Julia Kaye

0300 321 4514 / 07922537646

Julia.kaye@life-surfing.com

16

The Wave is published by Life Surfing CIC. Life Surfing is a Community Interest

Company Limited by Guarantee (07399335) Registered in England and Wales

£1.00

Contact us to order your copy of

The Wave

info@life-surfing.com

0300 321 4514