We all hurt sometimes

If you are depressed you are living in the past. If you are anxious you are living in the future. If you are at peace you are living in the present.

~ Lao Tzu

After reading my blog, last week, my older sister reacted by expressing that to function, she medically numbed symptoms of depression for years.

Recently, she changed her story to change her life.

While she cautions that judicious use of antidepressants may be needed at times, in the end, tiny changes in her daily habits produced notable results.

Practicing mindfulness, hiking, enjoying nature’s beauty, creating healthy boundaries, sleeping and eating better, and supplementing as needed, revitalized her.

Failure to thrive

New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.

~ Lao Tzu

Part of the human condition includes episodes of depression (regret and grief) and anxiety (fear about the future), personally and collectively.

Canadian Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) statistics show:

• 1 in 5 Canadians experiences a mental illness in any given year.
  

• 1 in 2 have or have had, a mental health episode by age 40.

The statistics are sobering. I realize that even reciting the numbers adds to the narrative that creates despair for the vulnerable.

We all hurt sometimes. A trusted, supportive person telling us that we’re not broken, reassuring us that this too shall pass, will save the day.

Feeling, not numbing our feelings, prevents reliving them in the future.

There is hope

The most dangerous ideas are not those that challenge the status quo. The most dangerous ideas are those so embedded in the status quo, so wrapped in a cloud of inevitability, that we forget they are ideas at all.

~ Jacob M. Appel

Although your doctor may not yet be aware, current science no longer supports the chemical imbalance or low serotonin hypothesis of depression.

It takes a long time to change beliefs.

There is a lot we do not yet know. As we went from controlling infection to managing chronic disease, we seem to have lost curiosity and inquisitiveness in medicine. But, there is hope.

The medical care of the future will focus more on creating health, not treating illness. Many of us who have attempted to empower people with the knowledge to take control of their health have been vilified and accused of promoting dangerous ideas. This too is rapidly changing.

If you are curious and open to emerging ideas, I invite you to take the time to watch a thoughtful presentation, The Myth of Low-Serotonin and Antidepressants. And, please share it with someone who may benefit.