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With the highly publicised loss of the incredibly funny and talented actor Robin William last month, taking his life due to depression the topic of mental illness is becoming less of a taboo. I have noticed on social networks, my friends are bravely speaking up about their depression in order to help others understand and know they are not alone.
In the UK, 1 in 6 people are dealing with depression, with this statistic you are sure to have loved ones who are suffering and could benefit from your support and understanding.
After my sister died of cancer, I became depressed, it took about 18 months to surface and once I was in those dark days, pulling myself out seemed an impossible task. It was during this time that I began to ask the question, 'Can my diet help me to feel whole again?'
I was told that my depression was beyond nutritional help and that I should remain on anti depressants, yet after 6 months I felt no better. I was just living life on 1 level, never moving up or down a gear. After this conversation with my Doctor, I left the surgery and decided to reach out and find another solution to coping with my depression. I would like to share with you my tips and advice on coping with depression.
Even if you have never suffered from depression you may still have had milder symptoms of anxiety, sadness and stress once in a while. Although it's normal to have ups and downs in life, it's also important to look after yourself and ensure you cope with these feelings. Having suffered from depression, I know the signs of when stresses begin to manifest into deeper feeling and I can now take action so they don't persist and escalate.
There are 3 key areas I address to retain a healthy balance and help me to live a healthy, happier and positive life.
When we exercise, we increase the production of endorphins. These are natural chemicals our body produces to allow us to feel good. By exercising 4 times a week, you are boosting your immune system and toning the body, which in turn boost confidence and your self- esteem. When I let this part of my life go, I do feel a confidents dip and begin to recognise the need to keep going. As I am not great at retaining the focus, I have a personal trainer and this extra support keeps me motivated.
In my 20's I was overweight and as a result suffered from low self esteem, after Nicola passed away this escalated and my confidence was rock bottom. I wasn't aware for many years that I was in control of my own thoughts and behavior. Mostly our thoughts and feelings are made up of old programs of behavior and in essence all we have to do is break the program and begin to create new thought and behaviors. I find cognitive behavioral therapies; such as EFT (emotional freedom technique) and NLP (neurolinguistic programming) is fantastic support for anyone looking to address feelings of depression, stress and anxiety. Also therapies such as massage, reflexology and acupuncture can help to reduce stress and increase feelings of positivity.
One of my great stress relief practices is Yoga. It offers me a moment in time where I can meditate and turn off the background noise of day-to-day stress and focus only on my breathing.
Be careful who your surround yourself with. If I surround myself with a glass half empty kind of character this pattern negativity behavior can spread. I surround myself with positive, like-minded people. By being in company with people who self regulate, work on their feelings, who are positive I feel positive and I also discover other positive practices to keep me attracting more of the great aspects that life has to offer.
As you may have previously guessed, nutrition is a passion of mine. Understanding that I am in control of how I feel, how I can eat to feel great, increase my positivity, reduce stress and promote feelings of calm, clarity and focus all through diet has been the driving force in my coaching practice for many years. When I coach individuals with depression, we firstly look at what foods could be attributing to feelings of depression, by eating processed foods, with little nutrition, the body is not able to produce neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin. By increasing whole foods to a person's diet it can help to stabilise mood and balance blood sugar levels. Also having an understanding that when we turn to alcohol to reduce stress, this is a temporary fix, that once the alcohol has numbed the anxiety, when it has left your system, the feelings return, also alcohol has a detrimental effect on our simulation of nutrition so it continues to compromise the immune system. It is always best to drink in moderation and not use alcohol to address depression.
There are many foods that help our body achieve increased health and vitality and enable us to cope with stress much better. Here are 3 key foods I include in my diet every day to support my body to produce the neurotransmitters to keep me smiling and feeling calm.
Brazil Nuts, contain the highest source of Selenium, than any other food, selenium can help ease depression. Studies show that people who had low levels of selenium are often more anxious, depressed, and tired. Once they ate foods containing selenium, the symptoms dissipated. I eat 4 a day.
Cacao (raw chocolate) You all know my love of raw chocolate, This assist the body to produce serotonin, dopamine and the love chemical PEA, truly a feel good food. Often called natures Prozac. Not a day goes by that I don't enjoy the pleasures of cacao.
Maca is a Peruvian root vegetable, offered in the UK in air-dried powder form. Due to the concentration of phytoestrogens in Maca, that assist in balancing hormones, maca has shown to reduce feelings of hopelessness associated with depression. Maca can help improve brain function and memory; it also offers the body a slow releasing protein that improves energy levels that can help to alleviate symptoms of lethargy associated with depression.
If you can see a friend, family member, even a work colleague suffering for depression, show them love by supporting them the best way you can. Offer positive solutions through exercise, nutrition and counselling. Don't let then suffer in silence, be open and acknowledge that depression is a common aspect of modern life and they are not alone. Together we will all keep smiling.
Put all the ingredients in a blend and blend until smooth. I add a little ice. This is a delicious smoothie that will literally put a smile back on your face.
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