SOME UNORTHODOX APPROACHES TO MENTAL and EMOTIONAL WELL BEING
One of the biggest contributors to mental and/or emotional problems is stress. There are many elements which can cause stress and other problems associated with it. Therefore, I would conclude that the first facet to be analyzed concerning well being, is the paring down of stress. If you are working two jobs and attending school and it is effecting you, I suggest quitting one of the jobs. If you have a friend who is constantly unloading his/her problems on you, I suggest you advise them that you are stressed and cannot be of much help to them. Cut out as much negativity in your life as you can. Make a list of the details and tackle them, BEFORE you begin to feel overwhelmed.
Physical exercise, like walking will be crucial to staying out of the depression slump. Power walk. Even if you only walk 3 blocks a day, you’ve gotten out into the fresh air and sunshine and moved and inhaled. Be sure to inhale deep and move with muscle using stride.
Vitamin therapy has been particularly helpful to me. My body responds most positively to vitamins. I take a B complex, C and calcium. For cell health, I am currently taking Resveratrol. At least 3 to 4 times a month I eat steamed cabbage and yellow squash, sliced tomatoes and green onions.
Instead of just taking a bath or shower, make it a special bath. Place lit candles in the bathroom instead of using the electrical light. Use aromatherapy. Clear your mind of all worries and focus on emptying your mind, as though bathing it also. Clean it out.
Meditation is helpful to avoid the obsessive trap of the more sensitive mind. It doesn’t take long to become overwhelmed with all the bad news. I suggest even avoiding watching television for a while, or at least less of it. No matter how bad your situation is, there has got to be at least one tiny good thing that you can think upon. Meditate upon it and how thankful you are for it. Even if you don’t believe in a higher power, just be grateful for the good, however small.
When thoughts such as “I’m never going to make it”, “I’m a real loser”, “I really blew it big time”, “I hate myself”, etc., begin, wave them off and fight it with, “This too shall pass, I am moving forward”. It might sound cliche schmaltzy, but the part of yourself which would do you in, must be overcome by your defender and protector, which happens to be YOURSELF.
Cry if you need to and yell. It helps. Just make sure there are no knee jerk cowards around who will call the folks to carry you off to the nut-bin.
The will to survive must be called upon in tough times, and I know how very difficult it is. I am aware that there are a lot of people in this country who’ve not grown up with love and support and have none now. Losing a job or someone you love can trigger a lot of unwanted thoughts and feelings. People who grow up without support don’t learn how to love themselves, and self destruction is not unusual. You have to overcome the tendency.
Go ahead and get mad that no one cares and protect yourself. It will, in the long run, make you much stronger. If you’ve had a bad experience with religion, get away from it. Belief in a higher power does not mean you must attend church. Find ways to affirm your faith.
However, if you cannot, you merely have not evolved to that place and I suggest getting psychological help. Even if you only temporarily need medication, it will get you through.
These days, materialism is rampant and if you are caught up in it and suddenly find yourself without, it can be tough on the self esteem, especially if your sense of self has been honed on outside circumstances. Get to know yourself and learn to like who you are on the inside.
