Understanding Why You Are Depressed

Let me first say that everyone’s experience of depression is different. Nevertheless there are themes that I see emerging again and again that I hope will be helpful to explore and describe.

Theme One: You’re Exhausted

From a holistic (Chinese Medicine) perspective, depression is the symptom that arises when the body’s nervous system has become overwhelmed with exhaustion. Normally when you’re exhausted you rest (and recuperate) but the cruel part about depression is that you get stuck in a limbo land where you’re unable to access true rest. Instead you find yourself in a state of agitation where you’re unable to switch off mentally and emotionally and, as a consequence, even if physically you’re quite sedentary and it looks like you’re not doing much you are still burning up tremendous amounts of nervous energy. You’ll find yourself going over things again and again in your head, thereby perpetuating a state of agitation and exhaustion.

Theme Two: How It Started

Well for some people it’s pretty obvious, symptoms first appeared after a traumatic event: the death of a loved one, a motor vehicle accident, being bullied at work or the ending of a relationship. The event didn't cause the depression but it created the conditions where the nervous system was stretch beyond its capacity for too long.

For others, they have always had the tendency to be depressed and traditional medicine calls this a ‘constitutional’ condition, modern medicine calls it genetic. Either way it means that ‘the way you are wired’ predisposes you towards depression. That doesn’t mean you just have to put up with it. However, you will need to become an expert in managing your mind and emotions to stay on top of it.

Theme Three: Toxic Emotions

Whether initiated by a trauma or whether you’re just predisposed to depression you’re likely to be suffering from an overload of toxic emotions. Whilst some people don't seem to notice much that goes on around them, people with depression are highly attuned to their surroundings and to other people (or started out that way until they got exhausted). This state of hyper-vigilance leaves them vulnerable to having their emotional circuits constantly jammed up. Once you’re in a perpetual state of overload the effect becomes toxic. Like a compost bin that is overflowing with food scraps, it needs to be emptied otherwise it turns putrid.

Theme Four: You’ve lost Your Way

The other theme with depression is feeling lost and loosing connection with your passion and purpose in life. Of course if you’re exhausted, in mental limbo and suffering from emotional overwhelm it’s impossible to connect with what brings you peace and a sense of purpose. Rather than thinking “once I figure out what I want to do in life I’ll feel better” the opposite is true. Once you feel better, it will be much more clear in what direction you should move.

How to get out of the Maze

From a Chinese Medicine Perspective it’s a pretty simple process.

Step One: Emotional Detox

The first step is to clear the backlog of emotional clutter and toxicity. Without removing the clutter, it’s almost impossible to move forward. From my experience, I’ve found acupuncture to be the key treatment to clear away the clutter and create some momentum. Other therapies that can be supportive include herbal medicine, exercise and dietary changes.

Step Two: Retrain Your Nervous System

It’s crucial to regain the ability to switch off mentally and emotionally, in order to access deep states of rest and peace. When you do, you truly begin to heal the exhaustion that underpins depression. Additionally, when you access deep states of peace you also declutter your mind and emotions which buffers you from going into emotional overload and rebuilds your residence for the inevitable stressful events that will come your way.

Again, I’ve found acupuncture excels at retraining your mind and nervous system to access states of deep peace. Who would have thought sticking pins in the body would be super relaxing but it is! I often describe acupuncture being like training wheels for your nervous system, giving the feeling of what it’s like to deeply relax. After a while you can find your balance on your own and don't need to rely on the treatment/training wheels.

Step Three: Practice Makes Perfect

Once you've got your equilibrium back, simple relaxation and meditation tools will enable you to stay feeling buoyant. The key is you need to do something that enables you to switch off EVERY DAY. Your body and mind’s need for relaxation is a bit like the need to brush our teeth. If you miss a day your mouth starts to feel a bit fuzzy and uncomfortable. It’s the same with the mind, if you don't do something that allows your mind to access rest and peace you are allowing clutter to build up and are sowing the seeds for future discomfort and distress. Meditation (and other deep relaxation practices) clear away the clutter and leave you feeling buoyant and resilient.

Please feel free to contact Live Well if you’d like further insights into how holistic approaches can help with depression.

Wes Smith is Live Well's Director and has 20 years experience as a practitioner and wellness educator. He has a special interest in working with chronic immune issues, stress, anxiety and depression. 
Wes is passionate about inspiring and educating people to create and sustain their vitality and wellbeing so they can live life to the full.
Wes also enjoys teaching meditation and is the creator of meditatewithwes.com an online resource for learning how to meditate. es has a B.App.Sc.(Acup), Diploma of Herbal Medicine, a Yoga Teaching Diploma and is an APHRA registered acupuncturist. Learn more about acupuncture, herbal medicine and meditation.

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Emotional Mental Health A Key to Fertility

Emotional and mental health can be a very real barrier to fertility. So often, we focus on our physical health and whether we are 'fertile in our body'. You and your partner may have had every blood test and scan under the sun.  You may have had some answers such as a genetic pattern issue, endometriosis, polycystic ovaries or low sperm count. Maybe you've found no answers, or have been given a fertility percentage.

Yet, what about emotional and mental health? Especially when there is a struggle with trying to conceive.

I often find women coming to me because

• they're at a loss as to why they are yet to fall pregnant
• they have stress in their lives they need to clear as they have a feeling that this is affecting their fertility, or
• they have negative experiences related to reproductive health that they need to let go of.

Kinesiology is a fascinating and powerful tool for it has the ability to speak to the body, the conscious and the subconscious mind, and takes the guess work out of questioning 'why?' The very challenge to conceive can cause stress which in turn becomes the enemy to your fertility.

Healing From Miscarriage or Termination

A common example of the importance of emotional and mental health for fertility is healing from a miscarriage or termination; this is something that can take time. From the well recognised statistics, we know that this is a shared experience for many women, however we are all unique in the way that we hold onto or process grief, loss and change. Personal history and circumstance are also unique and it's for these reasons that each personal experience and response to this stress is valid. 

Once you begin to heal and feel ready to try again to conceive, it's good to check in and prepare on all levels to ensure that your body is not holding onto past hurt. Sometimes our fear of falling pregnant again or worry over the ability to carry a baby full term can be part of the picture that is preventing conception. Kinesiology can help you to understand and free your emotions and thoughts and to clear the body of trauma and pain.

The Energy Connection Between Emotions and Your Reproductive System

To further reiterate the message, from an energetic perspective the Sacral Chakra – which penetrates through the ovaries and gonads is the chakra most known for it's connection to emotions. When your emotions are in balance, meaning that you're understanding and expressing your emotional self, you have a balanced Sacral chakra and thus a balance within the energy system of your reproductive system and related hormones and structures. Your emotional state directly relates to your fertility and vise versa!

As I mentioned above, you can store your emotions and thought patterns in your body. They can be both recent and old experiences. By releasing these experiences and the effect they have on you, you are able to then make room for new experiences, have the ability to respond rather than react, and to create the family you desire.

A Fun Fertility Tip

Making a baby is the essence of creativity. Both the Traditional Chinese Medicine Kidney meridian and the yogic Sacral Chakra involved in the making of a baby are also the sources for creativity. These systems thrive on creative nourishment. Think beyond just physical conception to creative outlets such as cooking, gardening, art and craft, and problem solving – get those creative juices flowing!

For more information, check out an article I previously wrote called A Fertile Life: Why Mind-Body Medicine is Essential for Fertility 

Kate Pamphilon

Kate's passion is to educate and empower each client to understand their mind, body, and Spirit and how these aspects are all connected. Her integrative approach to health and healing is to explore and treat the whole person. Kate is the creator of Holistic by Nature and is also on the expert panel of I Quit Sugar.

To find out more about Kinesiology please click here.

Read more about Kate. 

Sleep and Wellbeing

We’ve all experienced how wonderful it feels to wake up after a long and peaceful nights sleep. On the other hand if you’ve ever experienced insomnia you’ll know how draining and debilitating it can be. It will therefore come as no surprise that there is plenty of evidence showing a link between sleeping well and good health.

Australian sleep expert Dr Carmel Harrington who was in Canberra recently, explains that the average adult needs 7 to 9 hours sleep (and teens need more, somewhere between 9 and 10 hours). Interestingly, our grandparents got on average 2 hours more sleep than we do today so as our lives are getting busier and despite our need for sleep increasing we are actually getting less.

When we don’t get enough sleep our health suffers in three distinct areas:

We put on weight:

Poor sleep results in a lower metabolic rate, increased appetite and weight gain.

Our metal health suffers:

Lack of sleep is associated with a negative outlook and depression. In addition poor sleepers will experience a lack of motivation as well as impaired decision-making.

We get sick more easily:

Our immune systems are not as effective when we have poor sleep. So not only will you be more susceptible to getting colds and flus you are at higher risk of developing autoimmune illness.

So what can we do to get our sleep back on track? If you have trouble sleeping try following these simple tips:

• Avoid stimulants like caffeine, especially in the afternoon or evenings.
• Avoid or reduce your nicotine intake.
• Avoid foods that give you indigestion or heartburn such as rich or spicy foods.
• Avoid alcohol, even though it may help you feel sleepy and fall asleep, alcohol is linked to frequent waking, less restful sleep. If you are drinking alcohol with dinner try matching a each drink with a glass of water. 

If these simple tips don’t work then rather than struggling seek professional help. In our experience herbal medicine is a very effective way of treating insomnia. The right herbs will not just help you get a good night's sleep but put your whole nervous system back into balance.

For expert advice and support for getting your sleep back on track, book in with Live Well's naturopath Shanna Choudhary.