Build a Case AGAINST Depressive Feelings

Top of the morning all!  Let's commit to having some balance to your weekend - rest, play, healthy foods, hydration and a break from post week stress alcohol bingeing to take the edge off.  Its a perfect time to choose rejuvenation over hibernation this weekend - so let's get on with it!

I had an interesting thing happen a couple of weeks ago and speaking with a patient on his program this week prompted me to write today on how possible it is to 'absorb and construct' feelings of anxiety and depression from exposure to another's.

On a Monday a few weeks ago, I was driving to work and about 200m away from pulling into the clinic driveway, I was literally hit with a wave of sadness, crankiness and only what I could describe as being a depression.  It felt like it came from 'nowhere' as I was previously driving along singing and laughing with Holmesy and Flan  from Hot Tomato on the radio and had enjoyed a lovely weekend.

In that moment, all the events over the past (from my early years?) few years that have created pain in my life started to appear to fill my head.  It was a virtual tsunami of evidence with which I could build a case for falling into the depth of sorrow and victimisation from the circumstances in my life.  Knowing I had to start patients soon, I sucked it up and decided to revisit this later in the day during a gap.  For those who know me and my journey so far, you know how resilient I have been over the years so depression isn't a common fall back outcome from life's uncertainties for me.  This is largely due to how I care for my body in all aspects, but that's another story!

On arrival to the clinic, my receptionist had just been speaking with a distraught patient who needed an urgent call back, and on returning that call, her first words to me was "I don't know what's wrong with me, but I can't stop crying and I feel depressed a lot!".  After speaking with her and assisting with her remedy selection to support her, I hung up the phone, and I have since not felt any low feelings myself.  Then it got me thinking - apart from the concept of me picking up the 'transmission' of her call to the clinic on my way to work, even if that wasn't the case - how easy would it have been for me to continue to build MY case to be depressed for the day - or indeed the week?

When I spoke with my male patient this week, he revealed as well that as he has been emerging into a more confident and happier person - complete with more patience and calm - he's realised that a lot of the low feelings he was experiencing in life of late had been contributed to largely by 'taking on' someone else's responsibility for their troubles.  He is now seeing more clearly what is his to be responsible for, and what is not.  Recently he walked away from a situation feeling an empowering sense of detachment, and an epiphany became real - he had been basing his feelings on how poorly he didn't sort someone else's crap out!  The light bulb went on!

Low feelings are like a black hole - if you allow them a moment to get your attention, it is easy to get sucked into a vortex that vacuums everything else that feels horrible along with it - making it more difficult to climb out of again. Often we can start to construct ALL the reasons why life is hard, hopeless and impossible to overcome - just by one small negative moment.  Instead, you can decide to break that down, and replace it with one small negative moment - then reconstruct with a positive one - and continue to build a skyscraper!

Here are my top tips for helping formulate a surge of positive chemistry in your body to help with the formwork:

1.  If you notice yourself feeling challenges - lighten up on caffeine and alcohol, and hydrate with electrolyte drinks like coconut water, lemon and maple syrup or fresh vegetable juices.  This is a time your mind needs nutrients that help with electrical firing for fast mental processing.

2.  Foods that assist with the 'feel good' hormones Serotonin, Dopamine, GABA and Norepinephrine are a must - high quality protein, protein shakes for snacks or meals (loaded with a handful of kale or English spinach), bananas, fish, cottage cheese, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, lentils, rice flour based baked goods, almonds, egg, chicken, beef, seaweed or kelp, mushrooms, sunflower seeds and Spirulina or Dunaliella.  The most exciting thing here is a little 70% plus dark chocolate (not too close to bed) can really help lift your endorphin release!  By the way, these and other contributing chemistry can be tested and more focused nutritional guidance with an easy saliva test.

3.  Avoid sugar treats - these confuse the nervous system, increase acidity and promote irritability due to blood glucose fluctuations - which can happen as soon as 20 minutes after eating them.  Try boiled eggs, vegetable sticks and cottage cheese, tuna and celery boats, nut and seed mixes, nut butter bliss balls (add Super Kids Food in for extra amino acid and iodine for Dopamine production) and protein shakes (can make these into a frozen dessert).

4.  Move your body if you can't move your mind out of the rut. Whilst you are doing this, gather a list of your most uplifting music and put them onto the same playlist and listen to them before during and after exercise, and any time you feel low.  Music can be extremely effective when it hits the right spot for you. Don't choose ballads unless they get your positive juices moving!

5.  Homeopathic Cimicifuga is a great remedy when you feel the Addams Family cloud raining over you and no one else!  Other remedies may fit your individual presentation, so consider investigating this as a first aid remedy to start the ball rolling.

6.  Hibernation can sometimes be great, and other times be detrimental - consider what you have been doing the most recently and then entertain the thought of doing the opposite.  Rest is important but if 80% of your time is spent away from relating with others, this could be a sign that you are deeper than you thought, and getting some fresh air, sun and laughter could reconstruct your negative thoughts into positive ones!

7.  If you are currently on anti depressant medication, and you want to go off them, never stop cold turkey.  It is wise to discuss this with your prescribing physician. I do have transition programs in place that can assist with safe and effective movement off anti depressant medications, but it is wise to do this under supervision.

Remember - A positive moment in your life is all you need to start the reconstruction process - if you find yourself being dragged down, start there and invite more in

Loaded with mood enhancing probiotics, amino acids and iodine!

. If you are around others who you think you are absorbing feelings from, protect yourself and detach a bit.  You can still hang out - just don't hang on...


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