Times are tough. Everyday I hear another story from someone about the hard times that they are going through. It seems that everyone is experiencing trials and tribulations of some sort or another these days, whether through relationships, health, job, finances, regrets, or a combination of these. Their life is just not how they want it to be. With that comes sadness and depression, a feeling that there is no joy left in life, and the energy to cope with it all as been eroded.
I understand. There was a time when I was so down that I had suicidal thoughts. Though I was surrounded with friends it was a very lonely time in my life. I knew I needed help. I was vegan but I did not have a good understanding of how to get the best nourishment for my body through that lifestyle. I went to a holistic MD (after a conventional MD just wanted to put me on antidepressants) and she discovered I was deficient in vitamin B12. I gave myself shots of B12 and started eating red meat and other foods to supply me with this essential vitamin. I began to study the health benefits of food which I now pass on to you.
Natural medicines for depressionThere are many reasons for
depression, it is a natural emotion that all beings (creatures as well) go through. It is a signal that something needs to change. Sometimes it means changing something that we really don't want to change. Change brings disruption to our life, and to actively create that change sometimes challenges the beliefs that we have about our life, the world, and how we 'think' things should be. It asks us to stop and face who we are being and what we are doing.
It may mean letting go of an idea, a person, a situation, or being 'right'. It means accepting yourself and your life as is, forgiving yourself and others, and allowing things to be just as they are, rather than fighting upstream to 'make' it the way you want it to be.
Ultimately, all of this robs us of the one thing we are all looking for...joy. One of the greatest lessons my children have taught me as they have become adults is to let go and trust. '
Go with the Flow' as they say. As I have begun to apply this to the rest of my life I can see the hand of God working in ways that I did not before. I no longer wrangle with life trying to make it go in the direction I want it to or worry about things I have no control over. What's the point? I look for the joy in all situations, in this very moment. Yoga has taught me that, to breathe deeply.
I relax more now when life doesn't go my way. I have learned that
there is always a third way because nothing is ever just black and white, there is much gray in between. In that gray area, I find that sense of joy, of peace, and contentment. Happy with who I am and all of the blessings that I enjoy.
Life isn't easy, it is our attitude about it that will get us through when times are tough. It is in doing the work to find the source of our depression, making the changes we need to let go of the origin of pain, and focusing on what we
can do to help ourselves now that will lead us to living a joyful life one day at a time.
I like this
poem written by Yael about Postpartum Depression, though I think it applies to everyone at some point in time:
This I Believe
You are not broken.
You are not damaged.
You are struggling.
Every struggle is an opportunity for growth.
You don't have to like this to survive this.
You don't have to like this to learn and grow from this.
This sucks, so of course you don't like this.
You have a right to be angry. How could you not be?
You have a right to be scared.
When you allow your anger and fear to be heard, they cannot rule you.
Interacting with them gives you power in situations you don't have power over.
Running away from your emotions means that you can never rest.
If you fight your anger tooth and nail, it will turn into rage and guilt.
If you fear your fear, it will turn into anxiety and panic.
Fighting your emotions only feeds your demons.
Healing cannot happen in a war zone.
You are not lazy.
You are exhausted.
So is your partner.
Until you get enough sleep, try to respect your capacity, or lack thereof.
Accepting that being grumpy is unavoidable helps.
It is possible to be grumpy without being mean.
Yes, this is hard.
Trust turns caves into tunnels.
You cannot force trust nor rush it.
But you can wish for it, that's a very good start.
It takes baby steps in order to be able to make leaps of faith in yourself and in others.
When you can't find the light at the end of your tunnel,
dare to ask someone to light a candle and hold your hand.
Asking for help is hard. Very hard. And scary.
And it is the first step to recovery.
If you only learn one thing from having to deal with this darn mood disorder,
let it be how to ask for help effectively.
No, you will not be good at this right away. And that's OK.
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This week is all about getting into (and staying) in a good, positive, uplifting mood. There are so many foods that aid with this that I am listing the ones that I found in the