1. Talk it out. When something worries you, don't keep it to yourself.
2. Escape for a while. When things go wrong, it helps to escape from the pain problems for awhile.
3. Laugh! Read one of your favourite jokes or simply laugh aloud.
4. Visualise yourself relaxing at your favourite vacation spot or completing some big and difficult task with ease. 
5. Take a quick "mental break" by visualising a favourite place in your mind - whether it be the ocean, the mountains, or your own back yard. Concentrate on "seeing", "smelling", and "hearing" the things you imagine.
6. Massage: Close your eyes and use your fingertips to vigorously massage your forehead and the back of your neck. Rub in circles, and rub hard.
7. Get out of the rut. Making up new ways to do old things can be a great reliever of both stress and boredom. Try  taking different routes when driving to work, or change the way you do ordinary tasks such as putting on makeup, fixing your hair or getting dressed.
8. Develop hobbies: What's fun for you can be good for you. Whatever your interests are, indulge in them. Feeling competent and in control is relaxing.
9. Do something for others. If you feel you are worring sbout yourself all the time, try doing something for someone else.
10. Above all, forget the "superman" or "superwoman" image. No one can be perfect in everything.

 

EXERCISE

We urge our readers to keep fit by taking regular exercise. Saints and sages, philosphers, and physicians, all have stressed the importance of Regular Exercise to keep fit.

In this section we are suggesting two Simple, but extremely useful exercises that everyone can do without any problem.

These two exercises will set a nice tone for the rest of your daily life. Try them. you have nothing to lose.

 

1. Exercise No 1. Once you  are ready to start your daily exercises, stand comfortable with your feet roughly 9 inches apart. Now start shaking the whole body, firstly gently then gradually increase the intensity to as fast as you can. It is just like a wake up call to all parts of your body and the blood will start flowing to the farthest points in your body.
2. Exercise No 2. After the first exercise let there be a gap of a few minutes. Now try this simple exercise. Breath in normally and hold your breath. While you are holding your breath, try to tense your body - the whole body, hands, arms, legs, etc. This will stimulate circulation of blood in the most inactive parts of your system. Keep holding your breath and keep your body tense up to a comfortable level - say about thirty seconds. Now exhale and consciously let all parts of your body relax - totally and experience a sense of joy through out your body.

Both the exercises will not take more than 10 minutes. They will give you a wonderful sense of welll-being.                                      

 

 

 

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Just one of those days! LOL

 

 

 

 

 

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Have A Safe And Happy New Year!

 

Dr. R. B. Malik

 

 

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It's not easy being a young woman. It's not at all easy being a student in a highly competive atomsphere. Being both is positively difficult.

 

These who have been teaching and working with female college students have found a number suffering from problems such as repeated exam failure, anxiety and adjustement difficulties to more serious problems of personality difficulties, acute emotional distress and even suicide. Recent newspaper coverage of these issues and sensationalist reports of drug abuse among female college students prompted Dr. Riffet Malik, head of Fatima Jinnah Medical College Department of Psychiatry to launch a research project on the subject.

 

Funded by the Pakistan Medical Research Council, the pilot study entitled "A Psychological & Drug Abuse Profile of Female College Students" was carried out earlier this year, with the assistance of honorary Clinical Psychologist Neelam and Dr. Nazir Malik. Questionaireswere distributed among 400 randomly selected female students at Fatima Jinnah Medical College, National College of Arts and Kinnaird College. Out of the  70% who responded most were in the 15 - 24 age group, although there were two 28-year olds and the study actually covers the 15 - 30 age group. Following the successful presentation of the pilot study's results at the annual held in Karachi last month, Dr. Riffet Malik now plans to expand the study to includ all 30,000 female students in Lahore.

 

Since the project was concerned with both psychological and drug abuse, the questionaire had two distinct elements. The section one personal data apart from objective facts such as age, occupation of parents, and family size also asked for subjective details. This included personality assessment questions like "How do you feel most of the time? " and others about eating habits, sociability, leisure activities. The second section specifically targeted drug medicine abuse.

 

Research by other psychologists has shown that female drug abuse is very rare. Psychiatrists Dr. Ghazala Musa, a private practitioner, and Dr. Ijaz Tareen, Head of the Mayo Hospital-based UN-Pak Drug Abuse Control Programme both estimate female abuse of hard drugs (herion, cocaine, opium) at 1% of the total. However, abuse of psyhotropic drug by women has been found to be worryingly high. Psychologist Humair Hashmi quotes a 1981 research study conducted in lahore which found as many as 15% of women were abusing psychotropic drugs. These drugs include the tranquillisers category - valium, ativan, librium, etc - and amphetamines, ritallin etc. Abuse of these medi-limits.

  This abuse category is apparently far more common among women in Pakistan than the alcohol and cigarette and hard drug abuse categories. The tragedy is that this form of abuse, which can have devastating effects on the addict, her family, friends and work, is regarded as socially acceptable and not a problem.

 

In the study on female college students, those who answered positively to questions regarding the use of medicines, drugs and substances were then asked to answer further questions on possible addiction patterns. Finally, those whose sleeping, eating, smoking or drug-taking habits had changed recently were to fill in a brief General Health Questionaire (GHQ) based on an internationally standard set of questions aimed at uncovering emotional problems. These problems might be either a cause or result of  drug-taking behaviour. The 30 GHQ questions included ones like " Have you recently felt constantly under strain? / been getting out of the house as much as usual? / been feeling hopeful about your future?" The choice of answers ranged from 'more so than usual' and 'about the same as usual' to 'less than usual' and 'much less than usual' or 'not at all'.

 

When she began her study, Dr. Riffet Malik had a number of basic empirical questions in mind:-

• Is there a need for a formal psychiatric service for adolescents?
• Does medical education in an ALL female, highly competitive atmosphere put girls under more stress?
• Are educational methods incorrect?
• Are pre-Clinical years more stressful with higher psychiatric morbidity?
• Do the high scorers on the GHQ fare badly in exams?

Although the study's preliminary findings do not provide conclusive answers to these questions, a large number of very general patterns did emerge, which serve as pointers to some potential problems. Dr. Riffet Malik beliees the extended study among Lahore's entire female college student population will confirm and add to these results.

 

• None of the students in the polit study acknowledged that they had ever used illegal drugs.
• However, 42.8% of those who responded said they had occasionally used tranquillisers or amphetamines in the past.
• 57.2% of those who responded said they had never used any drug.
• 14.6% of those who admitted to having used drugs admitted to abuse over a period of time (weeks or months) and that it was difficult for them to give up.
• All of these girls were found to recorded problems on the GHQ.

 

Other prepiminary findings revealed that the FSc pre-medical students showed greater frequency of psychological problems than the older students. Adolescence and problems of adjusting to college life probably account for these. Equally, among the medical students the pre-clinical - the first 2 MBBS years - appeared to be more stressful, confirming the need for concrete answers to Dr. Riffet Malik's basic questions about the education system. GHQ high scores were also found to be those not doing well in their exams, implying a definite link between mental well-being and success in studies. Anumber of the GHQ high scorers were already seeking professional help for their problems.

 

Generally, the pre-clinical student faced problems centered on their studies, while the older 3rd-5th year girls were facing pressure in relationships, aspecially in grouping and rivairies. Analgesic (painkillerss) and tranquillisers abuse was also found to be in greater amounts in this group. This appears to be a reflection partly because of their way of dealing with their problems (psychosomatic illness, for example) and partly of their greater knowledge about pharmacology as senior medical studnets.

 

The only questional left totally unanswered by the pilot study was whether there were any conection between the high levels of 'medical' drug taking and the abuse of illegal drugs. The Mayo Hospital's Drug Abuse Control Unit's statistics on 2,226 new heroin addicts show that well over one-third had shifted to heroin from other drugs.

 

Dr. Riffet Malik believes that the preliminary findings confirm the need for a formal counseling/advice/guidance service for female college students. Although some colleges have informal arrangements with staff and/or outside specialists, the level of problems uncovered by the pilot study shows that many girls are still slipping through this safty net. However,  attempts to establish a formal service in the city's colleges have so far been frustrated. Staff who feel their teaching methods or general attitude to the students may be questioned have resisted the idea, while bureaucratic attitudes and fear of adverse publicity regarding the students' emotional problems have been further obstacles. There is also scepticism of psychological/psychiatric services and refusal by society as a whole to accept that young women may face serious life problems. Dr. Riffet Malik noted that there is often the sarcastic comment that how such pretty girls who dress so nicely can have any problems.

 

Yet if Dr. Riffet Malik's pilot study turns out to be an accurate estimate of the psychological and drug abuse profile of all female college students in lahore, this would mean there are well over 2,00 young women with grave mental and drug abuse problems.

 

 

 

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PEP International was founded in February 1989 by a child/family psychiatrist at the Women's Medical College, Fatima Jinnah Medical College, Lahore.

 

The  conception of this International Organization was a positive result of the Healthy Lifestyles Campaign sponsored by the World Health Organization and led by Dr. Riffet Rehanna Malik with the Pahonaga of the college Head.

 

"Healthy Liifestyles and Psychosocial Factors," the theme of this two day seminar with numerous participants attending from institutional settings; government organizations; and the pravite sector; provided a forum for the exploration of a variety of topics affecting youth including:

• The role of spirituality in healthy lifestyles.
• How healthy lifestyles contribute to the prevention of disease (i.e. cardiac disease, stress disorders, cancer).
• Tips for healthy recreation.
• Balanced nutrition as a catalyst for growth and development.
• Environmental awareness.

Participants and presentors alike recognized the importance of education youth about pertinent life issues to facilitate their transition to adulthood in a healthier happier manner.

 

PEP International provides youth with educational opportunities globally for growth and development and strives to assist them to realize their potential to become the well-adjusted, productive citizens and leaders of tomorrow.

 

 

 

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

 

Information Sharing and Communication amongst members, students and young people, government and non-government organizations, media and industry, national and international alliances sharing our concerns.

 

The aimof PEP International is to help young people particularly girls and young women become responsible citizens, able to serve the community and lead the young people locally, nationally and globally. To work cooperatively for preservation of the natural environment, to develop a knowlwdge and understanding of other countries, their and their culture.

 

           Some of the objectives are:

1. Promotion of healthy attitudes in Young people in their environment.
2. Promotion of healthy habits and healthy lifestyles in school.
3. Prevention of smoking and drug abuse.
4. Promotion of healthy social attitudes and banishing (effects of social evils on children's minds).
5. (a.)      Road user safety.                                                                                   (b.)      Prevention of accidents.
6. Healthy eating habits.
7. Stress control and promotion of positive attitudes (stress Management).
8. Healthy attitude towards sexual development and prevention of child abuse.
9. Prevention of child abuse.
10. Prevention of AIDS and STD diseases.
11. Development of pride in work and service to community.
12. Development of good team spirit through cooperation, coordination and communication.

 

The ways in which the program is delivered may be updated periodically.

 

 

 

 

"These tips should fit most teenager's lifestyles. These may help teenager's concerned about the environment to do something concrete."

 

 

ANTI- POLLUTION TIPS

 

 

1. Avoid using styrofoam products such as cups and plates.
2. Use products in non-aerosol pumps.
3. Use roll-on or solid deodorants rather than sprays.
4. If you must have a bonfire, try to keep it small.
5. Never throw tires or plastic bottles into a bonfire.
6. Cigarette smoke pollutes the air and the fliters are non-biodegradable.
7. Lower the volume of your stereo or TV to reduce noise pollution.

 

 

ENVIRONMENT-FRIENDLY TIPS.

 

1. Please, don't litter.
2. Help support school groups that are raising money for environmental causes.
3. Try to keep informed about current environmental issues.
4. Acknowledge and compliment those who are trying to help our environment.
5. Learn to love and respect nature.
6. Believe that you can help restore our planet and that you can make a difference by following just some of these tips.
7. Use the plug-in option rather than batteries when possible.
8. Turn off lights when you leave the room.
9. When working in a room with windows use natural. If you have a desk in your bedroom, move it close to the window. Should you need more light, use electricity sparingly.
10. Car pool with other students.
11. Take a bus.
12. Walk or ride your bicycle for shorter trips.
13. Avoid using disposable razors.
14. Buy bulk food.
15. Purchase clothes made from natural fibers (cotton, wool, etc.)
16. Buy products that are in refillable, reusable or recyclable containers.

 

 

 

TIPS FOR HEALTH AND HAPPINESS

 

1. Communicate with God.
2. Exercise more, choose to be a non-smoker.
3. Learn to  Relax. Strive to sleep 7-9 hours every night.
4. Eat a well-balanced diet, low in fat and high in fibre that helps you to maintain your ideal weight.
5. Learn to avoid known cancer producing substances at work, at home and in the community.
6. Share your feelings with others.
7. Work hard, do your best.
8. Be courteous, do a good deed.
9. If you can't say something nice don't say anything.
10. Don't waste time with complainers and whiners.
11. Be good to older people and kids.
12. Learn to take responibility.
13. Learn fro your mistakes.
14. Don't ever give up on your dreams.

 

 

" LET US PUT OUR HEARTS AND MINDS TOGETHER AND SEE WHAT FUTURE WE CAN BUILD FOR OUR CHILDREN."

 

CROWFOOT 1821 - 1877

 

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"NEVER DOUBT THAT A SMALL GROUP OF THOUGHTFUL COMMITTED CITIZENS CAN CHANGE THE WORLD; INDEED IT'S THE ONLY THING THAT EVER HAS."

 

MARGARET MEAD

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DR. RIFFET REHANNA MALIK

                              M.B.B.S., D.P.M. R.C.P, R. C. S (LOND)

                      M.R.C. Psych (U.K.)

                      Child & Family Psychiatrist

                      Director, P.E.P. International

                      P.O. Box 455

                      Syd, N.S. Canada B1P-6H4  

 

 

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Mindful of Culture Extends Its Deepest Sympathy's And Condolence's To The People Of Pakistan. While I agree that prayers are needed; prayers will not feed the hungry, it will not dress the cold and wet in dry, warm chothes, nor will it shelther the homeless or provide medical supplies to the sick and injured. What is needed are more donations so the people of Pakistan can get all of these supplies. Please help now!

 Death and destruction lay everywhere.

 

 

 

The death toll is rising close to 50,000 and is expected to rise higher still.

 

 

Pakistan has 60,000 people who are homeless.

 

There is a shortage of food, clothing, shelter, and medical supplies for the injured and sick. The only way they can get what they need is through donations from people like you and me. These people need help and it is within our power to give that help. So please donate now!

 

Please help if you can!

 

Here are some links that you can make contributions to:

 

http://www.geo.tv/important_events/earthquake05/mkrf/index.html

World Vision - Help Earthquake Victims in Pakistan

http://www.jang.com.pk/

 

Help make a difference. Every dollar you give counts. 

 

  

 

This candle burns for the people of Pakistan who are forever in our thoughts and prayers.

 

Please donate! Thank you.

 

 

 

                

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New link! From: wanna to die but can't die.

Thank you!

 

Just Click Plzzz 

Click for Charity: Pakistan Earthquake Appeal Simplyislam.com will donate £0.10 / US$0.17 to Muslim Hands for every visitor click. Click the button opposite.  

 

http://simplyislam.com/clickforcharity.asp

 

 No payment is requested from yourself simplyislam will automatically deposit the funds -Please take the trouble to click ..and copy paste this to all ur sites .. plzzz I beg you all ! 

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• feelings of sadness
• loss of interest in the things that used to give pleasure
• an extentsive loss or gaining of weight
• difficulty concentrating and thinking
• feelings of hopelessness
• feelings of worthlessness and unfounded guilt
• a loss of energy
• signs of agitation or physical slowing
• constant thoughts of death or suicide

Question:

How can I help myself get through depression on a day-today basis?

 

On a day-to-day basis, separate from, or concurrently with therapy or medication, we all have our own methods for getting through the worst times as best we can. The following comments and ideas on what to do during depression were solicited from people in the alt.support.depression newsgroup. Sometimes these things work, sometimes they don't. Just keep trying them until you find some techniques that work for you.

 

1. Write. Keep a journal. Somehow writing everything down helps keep the misery from running around in circles.
2. Listen to your favorite "help" songs (a bunch of songs that have strong positive meaning for you).
3. Read (anything and everything). Go to the library and check out fiction you've wanted to read for a long time; books about depression, spirituality, morality, biographies about people who suffered from depression but still did well with their lives (Winston Churchill and Martin Luther, to name two;).
4. Sleep for awhile. [On the other hand, sleep deprivation generally makes a depressed person feel better].
5. Even when busy, remember to sleep. Notice if what you do before sleeping changes how you sleep.
6. If you might be a danger to yourself, don't be alone. Find people. If that is not practical, call them up on the phone. If there is no one you feel you can call, suicide hotlines can be helpful, even if you are not quite that badly off yet.
7. Hug someone or have someone hug you.
8. Remember to eat. Notice if eating certain things (e.g. sugar or coffee) changes how you feel.
9. Make yourself a fancy dinner, maybe invite someone over.
10. Take a bath or a perfumed bubble bath.
11. Mess around on the computer.
12. Rent comedy videos.
13. Go for a long walk.
14. Eat well. Try to alternate foods you like (maybe junk foods) with the stuff you know you should be eating.
15. Spend some time playing with a child.
16. Buy yourself a gift.
17. Phone a friend.
18. Read the newspaper comics page.
19. Do something unexpectedly nice for someone.
20. Do something unexpectedly nice for yourself.
21. Go outside and look at the sky.
22. Get some exercise while you're out, but don't take it too seriously.
23. Pulling weeds is nice and so so is digging in the dirt.
24. Sing. If you are worried about responses from critical neighbours, go for a drive and sing as loud as you want in the car. There is something about the physical act of singing old favorites that's very soothing. Maybe the rhythmic breathing that singing enforces does something for you too. Lullabies are especially good.
25. Pick a small easy task, like sweeping the floor and do it.
26. If you can meditate, it's really helpful. But when you are really down you may not be able to meditate.  If you are unable to meditate find some comforting reading and read it out loud.
27. Feed yourself nourishing food.
28. Bring in some flowers and look at them.
29. Exercise, Sports. It is amazing how well some people can play sports even when feeling miserable.

 

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This was sent to a friend of mine. I decided to make it my first blog.

 

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, "How heavy is this glass of water? " Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g. The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it. If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. "In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes. "

He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on. As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden. "

"So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow.Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can. Relax; pick them up later after you've rested."

Life is short.
Enjoy it!

 

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