Fighting Deprssion

In the past 3 1/2 years of almost continual crisis, fighting for the welfare of my heart has been an "all hands on deck" endeavor. Here are some of the practicals I've been fighting with.

Joy strength: God has translated "the joy of the Lord is your strength" into an understanding that finding joy is necessary, not optional. Joy is what I overcome pain with and I keep praying that he will show me where I can find wells of joy. For me, I have found joy in reading children's books (like Anne of Green Gables, etc), having tea at girly places with a friend and visiting used furniture stores among other things. I used to disdain these things because I considered them unspiritual and invalid but God has been been broadening my definition of joy and my sources.

Chiropractic: people who struggle with depression often lose the curvature of their spine and especially their neck. These can lead to further depression among a host of other health issues.

Mommy's helper: I have hired students or friends who need a job to help me for two hours a week. Cheaper than a cleaning service but just someone to help me get the laundry done, unpack (as we recently moved), organize, put up dishes, etc has been a God send

Prolief: I had a dream a while ago that I was passing out this hormone cream like candy samples. I didn't know anything about it except that people used it for hot flashes so I did a good bit of research. To put it in a small nutshell, I learned that MANY western women are overloaded with estrogen because of the hormones not only in meat and dairy, but the chemical estrogens in cleaners, make up, pesticides and so on. For example, drinking two glasses of soy milk a day has enough estrogen to change your menstrual cycle. Progesterone balances estrogen, it is the feel good hormone and in the BIO IDENTICAL form, has no side effects (unlike synthetic). It comes in a cream form that you put on like lotion. This has not been a fix all problem, but it is easy and inexpensive and has definitely helped cut the edge off the downward spiral. I would be happy to give you more info about it or order some for you if you are interested. (I get it cheaper than available on this site, but here it is for info) http://www.hormonewell.com/index.html

Diet: i've noticed that having a solid breakfast with protein helps me avoid the after breakfast, baby still awake but fussy for nap, mommy meltdown. I used to start the day with coffee only or coffee and then breakfast later but this seems to only add to the meltdowns. Keeping protein in my diet 3-4 times a day seems to really help with keeping my blood sugar from crashing as much. Cutting out, or reducing caffeine and sugar has also been really helpful. When i do consume these, eating sugar/caffeine with protein has helped maintain a steady blood sugar and therefore mood. I could go on and on about this, I actually am hosting seminars about it, but i'll keep it brief here :). If you're interested i more info of course, please feel free to ask.

Paying attention to my emotions: i've noticed that the earlier I intervene when I start to feel overwhelmed, resentful, etc, the easier it is to regain emotional ground and peace. Intervening may be asking for time out (to pray, to shop, have alone time, etc), asking for a friend to come over and give me something else to focus on, get out of the house and so on. Trying to "press on" seems destructive more than helpful sometimes in these situations.

Praying that God will give you whatever tools you need to overcome. Love and blessings.