Getting a handle on depression

Hi my name is Rachel and I'm a Poynton PANDAS Group Member.

I have suffered with depression a few times in my life and I have mastered a few techniques which most certainly help fight it and I hope keep it at bay. I’d like to share them with you so that hopefully you might find some of them useful to your situation. Everyone is different and what works for one may not work for another but I have found some basic principles and tools which do seem to help and if it’s ok with you I’d like to share them with you.

Although I didn’t actually get depressed after having my little boy, the sleepless nights, hormones and the lack of support made me at times very irritable with my husband and a nightmare to be around which I’m not proud of. Luckily my husband could see I was unwell and eventually accepted I needed help. But I got back on track and have been well for several months now.

But I’m no stranger to depression or the Black Dog as Churchill referred to his depression, when I think back I remember those awful feelings, how it feels to want to hide away from the world, do nothing and curl up in a ball. To basically feel like you are a stone statue unable to move, it can be very debilitating. Coupled with anxiety it makes for a vicious circle. Staying home in your house and avoiding people just makes the symptoms worse – along with the fact that you have a little one wanting to go the park or play means on top of all that you feel guilty. It’s hard. Anyone who sees people as weak with this condition are just plain ignorant. Like any illness, we just need the right tools to pick ourselves up and get well again.

BUT there is light at the end of the tunnel – like thousands of others I’m proof of it – these are simply my thoughts and tools I use –  I hope you find some tips from today and you come away with hope rather than despair. Feel free to ask any questions.

1)      Depression is not a lifelong prison sentence even if it feels that way right now – you can come out of it and live a happy fulfilling life. You can enjoy life again. With the right tools this will happen.

2)      Depression does alter your view of the world around you, the way people perceive you and the way you perceive yourself and others. Remember and accept this negative view is part of the illness and not the reality. Be kind to yourself.

3)      When all you really want to do is hide away under the duvet if you were to do that it would just perpetuate the condition for longer and most likely worsen the symptoms. Think beyond how you feel right now and visualize a time in the near future when you are well again and happy – its not far away.

Tools for improving mood

EXERCISE

Light cardiovascular exercise – a walk in the forest, a gentle run in the park with your kids, playing with your dog, a half hour swim – it doesn’t have to be too strenuous to have an impact – but it will release the feel good hormones, endorphins and automatically make you feel slightly better even if you didn’t want it to. When the last thing you want to do is some exercise – just think – this is going to help me and in half an hour I’m not going to feel as rotten as I do now. In short, it works! Choose something you like doing – maybe you could persuade your partner or a friend to join you in a dance class every week – that would encourage you to commit to it too.

I’ve been practicing yoga for many years and find that very therapeutic too – it centres the mind whilst relaxing and calming your thoughts. I feel focused and energized afterwards. As mums we don’t have much spare time so other ideas are dancing round the living room to some of your favourite music with your little one. My son loves it! Getting away from the house on your own though has many beneficial effects – you need a bit of me time each week.

HEALTHY FOOD

Everything we eat has an effect on our body and on our mind. I find eating lots of slow releasing energy carbs such as oats, quinoa, brown rice help balance my mood (and blood sugar). Along with lots of fresh unprocessed foods – fruit and veg, cheeses, fish. Oily fish such as salmon, trout, anchovies has EPA and DHA Omega 3 fatty acids which have been proven to prevent depression and improve brain function – this is why eskimos hardly ever suffer with depression. I eat salmon at least twice a week.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/309847-fish-containing-highest-levels-of-epa-dha/

http://www.cbn.com/health/naturalhealth/drsears_depression.aspx

I drink very little caffeine nowadays (which gives me spikes of caffeine highs followed by tremendous lows), I instead drink Aldi decaff ( the best instant I’ve found!) or a Nespresso decaff for a treat or chamomile and honey tea. I also drink lots of sparkling water. I’m impressed by how good decaff in cafes is nowadays too and I don’t get that awful shaky feeling afterwards.

I find chamomile brilliant for reducing anxiety- the sister of depression as many of us know. Valerian tea is apparently even more effective at reducing depression but I’ve not tried it myself yet.

If you are one of those girls who rushes for chocolate when feeling down (and I still love chocolate!) then try something equally as sweet like mango, banana or berries and melon – these are going to give you that sugar hit but do you a lot more good in the process. I invested in a juicer which is really good as I love the sweetness of the juices and it curbs my desire for mounds of chocolate later on. Equally if you can manage a small amount of chocolate and it makes you feel better then perhaps use it as a reward for doing one of the other healthy actions. I found dark chocolate and slices of pear quite nice and hits the spot!

If you are feeling anxious light foods such as melon, berries, steamed veg are good for calming you. Avoid any spicy foods which could make you feel worse.

Unsurprisingly cutting out or dramatically reducing alcohol (a depressant) and nicotine ( a mood de-balancer to say the least) will definitely help. I gave up smoking eight years ago after reading Easyway to give up Smoking by Allen Carr- no gimmicks, no nicotine replacement, no cravings. Best thing I ever did.

MINDFULNESS

This is doing an activity where you are 100% absorbed in that activity and don’t have chance to think bad thoughts – it is brilliant! Different activities work for different people of course and choose something you love doing. For me I cook, knit, jog and practice yoga. All of them help me to switch off. Mindfulness can also be being aware of all your senses – for example a walk in the forest – listen out for different birdcalls, smell the pine trees, listen to the dog barking etc.

This article is proof that knitting and other textile making hobbies really do calm anxiety levels and help soothe.

https://www.yahoo.com/makers/happiness-is-a-needle-and-thread-away-the-mental-113527012940.html

AROMATHERAPY

For relaxation and to curb anxiety, I find lavender and basil oil excellent at reducing stress levels – I put a couple of drops of one or the other on my pillow at night and I forget all about my worries. Equally I put about 5-10 drops in total in the bath which also works well. Chamomile oil and rose oil are good although personally I’m not keen on the smell of the former – bit of a haystack!

You can blend them with carrier oils such as jojoba or almond oil and put them on a tissue to carry around if you need to.

ACUPUNCTURE

One particularly bad bout of depression affected my sleep pattern and I became an insomniac for the first time – I was waking up 5 times a night (worse than after having my son!!) so after going to the GP who could only offer sleeping pills which I didn’t want to take, I was walking past a Chinese acupuncture practice where the sign – “cure insomnia” suddenly caught my eye. It was a complete revelation and within two sessions I not only slept normally again but I felt like a light had been switched on in terms of mood – I felt my old self again – definitely worth it – personally I would recommend a Chinese acupuncturist rather than Western one as they train for seven years in China and you can find a list of recommended practitioners with TCM online.

In acupuncture, depression occurs when the liver (responsible for mood) is not functioning properly and the acupuncture rebalances the chi (energy) in the body and mind and strengthens the liver.

SUPPORT

It’s amazing how important it is to have a good circle of friends around you that understand what you are going through. Sometimes if your partner is not being as supportive as you would like a friendly ear is just what you need to keep going.

As well as in the real world, social networks can be useful occasionally – on Facebook I discovered a page called Project Happiness which has some brilliant advice and posts.

BEING GRATEFUL

I write three positive things that happened to me each day at the end of the day. It makes me realise things aren’t as bad as I sometimes think they are.

I rest when I can – I no longer overdo it – I have to accept I can’t do everything I want to do and I realise that for me this works and keeps me well which as a mother and wife is my responsibility. 

In summary these are my tools that I use to keep depression at bay – I hope some of them will help you too.

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If you would like support in managing and overcoming depression please come along to our drop in group on Mondays at St George's Church in Poynton.

Email: psppoynton@aol.co.uk

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