The past few days I have been aware that my mood is being propped up by intention and my authentic mood and energy has been low. Depression and I have had an intimate relationship for as long as I can remember. When I look back on myself as a child, there we were Depression and me, hanging out even in middle school. I am so familiar with the Black Dog’s return that I know when to put myself back on medication, which I did two-and-a-half years ago. Six months ago though, I weaned myself off my meds and wrote myself a new prescription, simple; exchange meds for exercise 5 times per week.
What other treatments exist for Depression?
When you live with something as long as I have lived with recurring depression, one gets to know its habits and flavours. Intuitively, I know what shifts my mood and my research into the science backed it up; exercise can be as effective as antidepressants in the treatment of depression and the prevention of relapse. To give things a boost, I also changed my diet to exclude all carbs and sugars, giving my brain the best odds possible for keeping those happy neurotransmitters floating around. My Mindfulness Coach put me onto a daily mindfulness practice, another proven treatment for depression. I was set!
Early to Bed…
By nature, I am an early riser, up at dawn and out of bed. This is when I am inspired to exercise, afternoon exercising has never been natural or easy for me. Winter hits me hard, not only do the low light conditions affect my mood; the late mornings steal my exercise time! It’s winter here now and well…you know where this is going….yep…I have been hibernating….
Many people assume since I’m a Life Coach that I have it ‘all together’. To be honest, I’m not sure what that really means. If it means that I am always able to self-motivate, always on top of my commitments, always positive, then I will disappoint the assumers. I am just like you; I have days when I don’t feel like it, days when I am paralysed by anxiety, or distractible to the point of annoyance with myself. This is why I rely on the people who have my back. People who give me the feedback I need, not necessarily the feedback I want; my coaches, my therapist, my kids, my fiancé, my friends, my staff, the circumstances that show up in my life.
Feed back with feedback
It’s been weighing on me, the past few days that my mood is being propped up by intention, and I know how to prevent the inevitable. We had a deal, me and I; “EXERCISE dude, or meds!” it was time. Unsurprisingly, this morning I received the feedback, “you are feeling heavy, are you ok?” “Yes…no…need to exercise… but…no time…want to be in the office……” And then the reminder; “what if you taking your walk is exactly what needs to happen so that you can honour your commitment to the team & office?” Spot on!
Going it alone simply doesn’t work!
Here’s the thing, as much as we may think we can, we cannot do life alone. Even if we know all the right answers, read all the books, recite all the affirmations, we still need other people to give us feedback, to help us adjust our course and get back on track.
There is honour in reaching for mentors, coaches, therapists for we do not know what we do not know and cannot grow without the feedback and support of others.
Of course, sometimes we just need a kick in the butt from someone who is invested in our growth!
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