Treating Depression Naturally...?

I know that a lot of new moms who suffer from post-partum depression can find it extremely challenging to carry out their normal routines on a daily basis. Here are a few tips that I have employed myself, over the years, to help regulate and eliminate episodes of depression.

I have been increasing my omega 3s by adding fish oil, flax seed, olive oil, garlic and more walnuts to my diet. Studies have shown that consuming foods rich in omega three fatty acids helps to treat or eliminate a whole host of disorders including depression. Adding freshly ground flax seed to my meals seems to be one of the easiest ways for me to tolerate flax because I don’t really taste it. I sprinkle it over cereal; I mix it in with extra virgin olive oil (first cold pressed) with rice dishes, as well as, pasta dishes. As for the fish oil, I add it to fish dishes because I hate the smell! Adding it to cooked fish cuts down on the whole “fishy” effect for me. Walnuts, I have found, are an amazing addition to oatmeal. I just crush the nuts and add raisins and maple sugar to the oatmeal. It is scrumptious. Just merely mentioning garlic here, is almost pointless to me, because it is my number one super food! I make hot water brews with garlic by soaking freshly crushed garlic in hot water for about 5 to 10 minutes and the result is simply magical; adding a clove or two to freshly made carrot juice disguises its pungent taste but is just as effective for me. I feel the best when I have had the juice on an empty stomach.

When I feel myself sliding into a depressive state (most times I can tell when that is happening before it actually descends), I push myself to execise. I go for a walk outside, or jog on the spot at home if it is too cold outside. I sometimes just find a fitness program on a cable channel and throw myself into it. By the way, I hate any type of exercise that is not walking, running or dancing, but when it comes to breaking “the blues” anything goes! I get easily bored so I mix it up. I may spend 5 minutes dancing, then jumping jacks, then push-ups or sit-ups. I used to do yoga stretches and it really helped to relax me, make me feel clear and positive but I soon felt sleepy after my workout. Now, I don’t do it anymore unless it is before bed time. Overall, exercise really works for me.

Practicing positive speaking and thinking has just moved me into a new level of existence, so much so, that I cannot even remember when was the last time that I actually had any lengthy struggle with depression. I have started to encourage myself daily and at nights before I go to bed. This way, the last thoughts that I have are pleasurable and relaxing. I normally wake up with a “good enough” attitude to face the day and its challenges. When the challenges do come, I find little ways to talk to myself (out loud). Every time I walk by a mirror, I tell myself encouraging thoughts like, “You are special; I love you for who you are; I am glad that you choose to be patient with yourself and others, etc.” Little things like these have really helped me to stay afloat.

For safety reasons, it is advisable to never undertake any self-treatment program without consulting your physician. Many of them are now more willing to discuss the use of alternative medicine in their treatment plans. All the best…

Choosing Happiness!

I am enjoying the sense of hope and purposefulness that I am experiencing, now that I have reminded myself and accepted that when I choose to be happy then I end up being happy. When I choose to be in a bad mood then it follows that I get grumpy.

After a month of significantly challenging days, I finally had a breakthrough. My son had been particularly whiny today due to of lack of sleep and after many attempts of trying to soothe him, he persisted in being that way. In the midst of the charade, I took a phone call. Upon realizing that there was no way that I was going to hear my friend above all the crying and whining, I wondered (really loudly), " how do you get someone who is choosing to be miserable to stop being miserable?" In the instant that the thought appeared, I immediately, reflected on my own state over the past few days.

I have been spending the last few weeks feeling tense and anxious about the dawn of my Dad's birthday (February 26) and the anniversary of his death (March 16). After struggling through each day, the "inevitable" bad mood finally descended. My numerous attempts at encouraging myself to feel better always ended up with me thinking that my Dad really should not be dead, he should be alive; He should be alive so that we could do this or that we could do that, etc., etc. Hence, the sadness progressed. I didn't want him to be dead, I wanted him to be alive.

But, today, as I thought about how I could help my son feel better, I started to work on how I could help myself to feel better. I thought about ways that I could extend the good feelings that came with our father-daughter relationship beyond the boundaries of death; ways that I could keep alive the happy times that we spent together. As I pondered those moments, I started to break out into smiles and then laughter. My mood began to change and I remembered that if I kept my mind in a place of thankfulness for the times we had together (good and bad), then I could maintain a posture of happiness each day. I like how it feels when I choose to soothe myself, much more than when I am making myself sad and, as a parent, it is really important for me to continually practice and develop great habits that my child will inevitably model.

All the best...