In 2006 when I lost my father to Leiomyosarcoma I fail into severe depression.
I always viewed my father as active and my doctor at that time who himself has passed on to a better place . Thought the reason for my depression was when the cancer took that from him and my view of my father over the course of my lifetime. That became the basis of my depression and my doctor who knew me over the course of my lifetime. Who knew antidepressants thought with my make up of being quite out going.
Unlike my brother who he put on Ativan. Mie required Lexapro which would be a short term fix. https://www.rxlist.com/the_comprehensive_list_of_antidepressants/drugs-condition.htm
After I caught up with my sleep he said you got yourself on this drug so figure your way off it. Dr. Stegall told me after my fathers death your father wouldn’t want you depressed and I myself wouldn’t want to be depressed. So get a grip on life realize it has an ending once in everybody’s life you go through a crisis like this because it brings out your better side. With this changed outlook on MY Life.
I decided to make my life better by treating my depression naturally:
And the first step was realizing people whom I thought were friends that didn’t treat me decently through my depression was eliminated from my life. I realized that however not many people will be in your life but being able to speak to a true friend helps. Then I proceeded to:
I climbed a mountain and I turned around
And I saw my reflection in the snow-covered hills
Preview Lissa Rankin, MD and Casi Zackhariyas discuss
overcoming depression and My Pursuit of Peace
1. Consider why you might feel depressed. Sometimes depression is a symptom of something circumstantial in your life, rather than biochemical imbalances. Does your job require you to sell out your integrity every day? Have you been unable to admit that you need to end your marriage? Are you feeling spiritually disconnected or sexually restless? Are you suffering from creative blocks? Is your body failing you? Are you facing financial ruin? Be honest with yourself about what might be off-kilter in your life, and make an effort to get to the root of why you might be feeling depressed.
2. Move your body. Exercise releases happy-making endorphins, which act like natural anti-depressants. Runner’s high, anyone?
3. Never skip a meal. Keeping your blood sugar stable reduces mood swings.
4. Eat a serotonin-enhancing diet. Many anti-depressants like Prozac act by inhibiting the reuptake of serotonin by receptors in the brain, thereby increasing serotonin levels. But you can increase your brain’s serotonin levels by eating foods that boost your serotonin levels naturally.
Serotonin-enhancing foods include:
• Foods high in omega-3 fatty acids (such as wild salmon, sardines, herring, mackerel, and anchovies, which are even higher in omega-3 fatty acids than other fish)
• Healthy fats like coconut oil
• Eat a high protein diet, especially proteins high in tryptophan, like free range turkey
5. Avoid caffeine, which reduces serotonin levels. If you need an energy boost, supplement with L-Tyrosine (500 – 1000 mg).
6. Expose yourself to sunlight, which can boost mood and increase Vitamin D levels. I rode a bicycle but If you live somewhere that gets little sun, invest in a therapeutic light box. Anything that increases vitamin D helps depression
7. The B vitamins, especially folic acid and vitamin B6, can be helpful in mild depression, and you should know that B vitamins can increase the efficacy of prescription anti-depressants. Experts recommend vitamin B-12, folic acid, vitamin D3 and tyrosine!!
8. Music is healing to the soul …variety is the spice of life listen quite often to your favorites.
9. Age related depression: try to understand that hormonal imbalances associated with aging can begin when women are still in their thirties. Oestrogen levels start falling fast, rather than at a natural pace. Or When women age, both oestrogen and progesterone will decline. Unfortunately, progesterone levels often drop at a faster rate than oestrogen and can even get to zero. Oestrogen doesn’t decrease as quickly as progesterone and this difference cause hormone imbalances, resulting in an oestrogen dominance …
10. Make efforts to bolster your mental health by being more authentic in all aspects of your life. Too often, we walk around wearing masks, pretending to be something we’re not. We fake it at the schoolyard, in the boardroom, in the bedroom, at church — and then we wonder why we wind up depressed. Practice letting your freak flag fly and watch how your mood lifts.
11. Talk it out. See a therapist, psychiatrist, or maybe express how you feel. Sometimes just finding someone you trust who will help you work through your feelings can make all the difference in the world.
If all else fails and you need anti-depressants, don’t beat yourself up. Sometimes you can do everything right, and if your imbalance is biochemical, you may need the drugs. But don’t forget to nurture the rest of you too. Depression, like most physical and mental illnesses, is multifactorial and requires a global investigation of your whole health — not just your mind and body, but your relationships, your work, your financial picture, how you express yourself creatively, how you satisfy yourself sexually, your environment, and whether you’re letting your Inner Pilot Light (aka authentic self) shine.
12. Start researching or write a blog. I did and it helps to keep your thoughts active. This blog has many cancer survivor blog post in it and when I came out of my depression I had a curious eye and a keen interest about what makes the world go around?
Preview What is Consciousness? What is LIfe Purpose?
Stephen Hawking hosts an epic brand new kind of cosmology series, a Planet Earth of the heavens.
It takes the world’s most famous scientific mind and sets it free, powered by the limitless possibilities of computer animation.
