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Marilyn's story:
Marilyn is a 29-year-old single career woman who is battling depression. Her exciting career as a graphic designer has lost its appeal. She can barely get out of bed in the morning even though she goes to bed around 8 PM every night. She feels like all she wants to do is sleep - morning, noon and night. She cries frequently throughout the day - although she can't pinpoint one problem in her life that could be causing such depression. Her eating habits are poor and she has gained too much weight in the past year. She would like to have a meaningful relationship with a man but doesn't have the energy to go to parties and places where she might meet someone. It all seems useless to her. Here is her story….
Marilyn:
When I was younger, I always imagined that by the time I turned 30 I'd have a happy marriage and two kids. I thought that being a graphic designer was fun but really saw it as a temporary career until I started a family. I had one long-term relationship in my early 20s and it ended when I was 25. Since then, I've barely dated. I'm turning 30 next year and it's very depressing to me to be facing that birthday alone.
I've hit a point in my life where everything seems useless. I don’t want to go to work in the morning. I cry in my office over the smallest things, and I hate coming home at night to the same old routine. How did my life end up this way?
I know I should be taking care of myself and getting some exercise, eating better, and taking vitamins. But I just can't muster enough enthusiasm to do it. As a result, I'm eating ice cream for dinner and sticky buns for breakfast. I'm now about 30 pounds overweight. I don’t even look in the mirror anymore.
I don't know how to turn things around. They're only getting worse. I'm afraid I'll lose my job soon because I'm going in late so often.
Therapist Advice:
Marilyn, I think we can start with some little steps and you'll begin to feel better. We'll take it one day at a time. We can turn this around for you. The first thing to realize is that much of your depression is a sort of chemical imbalance worsened by your poor diet.
For example, the more sugar you eat, the more your body becomes depleted of B-vitamins and other essential nutrients for a healthy nervous system. You would notice a dramatic improvement in your moods and energy if you eliminated or greatly reduced the sugar. For example, when you come home at night - have a steak. I'd rather you eat protein now and feel like you're comforting yourself with food like steak - than with ice cream.
In the mornings, have eggs for breakfast. Forget the sticky buns. Make a list of all the high-protein foods you like and eat them during the day instead of your comfort foods like sticky buns and ice cream.
If the texture of ice cream is soothing to you, try replacing it with plain yogurt and fruit. You can make a smoothie of yogurt and fruit that will feel like ice cream but have less sugar.
Eat nuts during the day as an energizing snack. All of these dietary changes will help reduce your emotional moodiness that causes you to cry in your office over little things.
Our physical bodies are the first foundation of our good health. Once we clean up our diets, reduce sugar, increase protein, get the right nutrients into our systems, then we feel stabilized enough to work with other deeper issues.
Once you are feeling more physically and emotionally stabilized, we can begin to deal with the underlying issues of your depression. We can tackle the issues of lack of intimacy in your life, loneliness and despair. We'll begin that work after you've spent a couple of weeks getting your body back in balance.
Another aspect of depression recovery is finding your inner spirituality and reconnecting with it. Some people believe that depression is a sign that your soul is calling out for its connection to God to be restored. I want you to spend a few minutes at the end of each day sitting in quiet contemplation or prayer. See what comes up for you when you explore your relationship to God. That can be very healing.
Get Healthy Plan:
For now, I want you to start taking the herb St. John's Wort for depression. Buy a high-quality liquid tincture and follow the dosage directions on the bottle. That will help to stabilize your moods.
Everyday you need to take a good all around multiple vitamin. In addition to that, take a B-vitamin supplement and a mineral supplement. These will start to get your system back into balance.
There are also some flower remedies that can help you. Try beech for depression. Again, follow the directions on the label.
Now, to get you back in balance physically, take a pair of comfortable walking shoes to work. Keep them at your desk. Each day, walk out of your office and go in one direction for 10 minutes then turn around and go back. That simple 20-minute walk will help create uplifting hormones, called endorphins, in your body. Endorphins are natural depression busters - and we can create them in our own bodies. This is why so many people exercise regularly. That 20 to 30 minutes of mildly aerobic exercise will create these feel-good chemicals for you. The pay-off is worth the effort.
If you can find a good acupuncturist in your area, make an appointment. In Chinese medicine, they believe that depression is simply stagnant energy. Once the meridians are opened up and the energy can flow - balance is restored and depression will lift. Acupuncture has helped many people recover from depression.
I feel that these steps will begin our journey towards wellness. The dietary changes I've mentioned will help begin your weight loss plan. Later on, we'll put you on a weight loss regimen. For now, we're taking it one day at a time.
Marilyn's Personal Journal:
Today I did one thing the therapist asked me to do. It made a difference. I walked for 20 minutes from my office and back. It was refreshing and I did feel more stable for the rest of the afternoon. I'm taking it one day at a time like she said.
Tomorrow I'll start the St. John's wort herb and see if that helps. I'm going to try steak tonight for dinner. I'm actually looking forward to that. I'll let you know how things go. It just feels better to have a plan. At least I know there's hope.
Get Healthy Products:
St. John's Wort
Multiple vitamin
B-vitamin supplement
Mineral supplement
Flower remedies
Please send us your depression story so that we can help you with a Get-Healthy Plan. Email to: Sue@Holistic.com
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