Redefining Depression ^Featured

A spiritual crisis. As unique as each one of us is, so are the reasons why one falls into a state of Depression. I capitalize the D not because I believe it is a disease, but because I am not talking about the kind of depression that is just like 'my life sucks at this particular phase of my life'. I am talking about the kind of depression that is debilitating to where everyday mundane tasks become a huge obstacle to overcome such as doing dishes or doing laundry. The kind of depression where the amount of physical, emotional and mental pain has become larger than life that you dread waking up everyday knowing that it's another day of battling pain to make it through the day. It is a state of lost vitality or life-force energy and your passions. It is a state where muscular-skeletal pain seems to be everywhere because your nervous system is under constant stress inducing an inflammatory response. It is a state where you have become so far removed from your true nature or self. If this is or has been you, chances are that you are an especially energy sensitive person who is powerfully affected by outside projections of energies and toxins.

How I escaped the grip of my Depression checklist in no particular order:
-Detox thoughts
-Detox body
-Find healing modalities and practitioners that work for you
-Dedicate time to a physical activity to strengthen your chi
-Allow creative expressive outlet such as writing, music, art (it helps to think back to when you were a child what brought you the most joy)

Everything is energy. We are bombarded everyday by media, technology (EMF's), other's energies, pop culture, societal pressures on what is acceptable in how to think and do. If those values are not aligned with yours it can become overwhelming. It also takes a lot more energy to try to live up to those ideals that are not true to you which leads to hopelessness real fast. Competition and survival of the fittest seems to be the projected societal way to success. What if your core values are the rival of all with compassion and cooperation? These ideas are somewhat conflicting and may be one of the causes to your Depression. Pinpointing these things by delving deep into your psyche by asking yourself questions about why you feel the way you do and also observing the negative self talk that has been conditioned through your experiences. It's hard work but underneath it all there is beautiful gifts waiting to be uncovered and discovered. It takes clearing the old energies and harnessing the new. What is important to understand it that mental and emotional traumas can manifest as physical pain. It is the what came first the chicken or the egg concept. That is why it should be approached in a very individualistic way. The solutions lie within.

We all want to feel good. That is truth. If we have a belief that does not feel good we have the ability to change our focus to another perspective that does empower us to feel good. Science is at the cutting edge of exploring the power of our minds and the effect it has on our health. I recommend the book 'Biology of Belief' written by Bruce Lipton, a cell biologist and one of my heroes. He is at the forefront of Epi-genetics the new science that is discovering that our health is not at the mercy of our genes but rather is determined by the external and internal conditions including stress levels via thoughts as well as chemical toxins from the environment. When your body is in unfavourable conditions bombarded by toxic invaders and stress hormones, the inflammatory response is triggered therefore triggering the gene susceptible to disease. Inflammation is the start of all disease and any part of the body including organs can get inflamed. For it seems our environment has become a catalyst for ill health (especially if you are extra sensitive) we must take our health into our own hands and eliminate anything negative and toxic in our life. Review a typical day in your life. What situations give you a feeling of dread or heaviness? Is it possible to remove yourself from that environment?

The 3 most important healing health factors are quality of food intake, plenty of water and even more emphasis on oxygen intake. Be mindful of what you eat, opt for organic as much as possible since most of our food these days are nutrient deprived and chemically overridden (see Detox blog). Drink lots of filtered water and do things that get optimal amounts of oxygen into the body such as bodywork. Use household cleaning items and bath products that are made of natural ingredients as much as possible. Discipline is crucial in incorporating a healthy lifestyle with a physically and mentally enhancing activity such as yoga, tai chi, martial arts which incorporate focus, full range of motion and strength. Through increased oxygen intake, sweating out toxins through the skin and increasing circulation you are giving love back to your body who works so hard to keep you alive. Give it some love back. Now is the best time to honour thyself. As unique as you are so is your healing process.