The word depression is thrown around today like a nice warm blanket to fall into. It's used lightly in language. This is a serious subject. I'm not making light of depression or it's existence. I myself was once diagnosed with clinical depression when I was around 19 years old and my doctors taught me how to make my own endorphins for life! And guess, what, it worked. In light of that transformative and empowering perspective, I make room for the observation that perhaps our taught helplessness to help ourselves, our "knowing" that help is a pill away, our focuses and train of thought has produced these depressions, as a society.
In those days, anti-depressants were not prescribed for life. They rather served as assistance while you learned life skills, educating yourself to create a new inner life. My primary doctor and my psychotherapist who was a psychobiologist / hypnotist taught me how to change my own brain chemistry. This would include a regimen of amino acids, exercise, journaling, therapy when needed & educating myself towards a shift in mindset. This not only put the power in my hands but it changed the entire trajectory of my life. People would soon always be asking me what I was so happy about! He would go on to hypnotize me for a year. They taught me a set of skills that I could easily incorporate into my life and daily routine. They empowered me! They also informed me that I should only be on my antidepressant for awhile and I wouldn't need it again as any medications alter your brain chemistry and can cause permanent damage. The real original purpose for medications were for life saving events and to help stabilize until homeostasis can be maintained by natural means. They knew the power of their words and their belief in me. I'm not giving medical advice or saying this applies to everyone's circumstance, however, when it comes to my brain chemistry, I've been most empowered learning what activities, foods, thoughts, attitudes and behaviors affect my neurotransmitters and how I have the power to alter my brain chemistry myself. The moment you start labeling yourself as depressed, you are programming and hypnotizing yourself with your self talk. I'm not saying to push down your feelings, but rather, reframing your thoughts into healthier and more empowering words can immediately change the landscape that you are viewing. This new "view" will also lead to different places in your mind. You will start looking for solutions instead of being defeated. You will get on with your day and life and not be pushed down by your own thoughts. Of course, there are some circumstances where sadness is warranted. However, there are stories of people without limbs and prisoners of war who refuse to be thwarted by outside circumstances and choose to lift themselves up with their thoughts and their power to use their mind. To keep their minds active, many POWs memorized the names of every prisoner in their camp, and repeated them every day so that none would be forgotten. Some worked out complex math problems in their heads, and others made detailed observations of insect behavior. Some would find refuge in visualizing far away lands, loved ones and foods. You see, the mind does not know the difference between imagination and reality. Their FOCUS was not on their immediate situation but was focused elsewhere where they occupied their mind. Where you choose to occupy your mind is of key importance! When focus is on negatives, this does many things neurologically. You are depressing your immune system, you are creating these neurological grooves into the negative, you are stimulating anxiety and stress. There are many studies that prove imagining practicing or weight lifting or learning piano yield the same results as actually practicing. Many professional athletes also use visualization to improve their performance. "Major Nesmeth was captured and became a prisoner of war, where he spent seven years imprisoned in a cage that was 4 and a half feet long and 5 feet tall. During his imprisonment, he saw no one, talked to no one and had no physical activity. For the first few months, all he did was hope and pray for release. He soon realized that he had to find some way to occupy his thoughts or he would go insane. Nesmeth devised a mental program in which he’d play his favorite golf course every day in his mind. He would visualize the experience to the highest level of detail possible. He imagined the clothes he’d be wearing. He thought about the smell of the freshly cut grass and the feel of the warm sun and gentle breezes on his skin. He’d see every tree, hear the birds singing and squirrels chattering, and envision every slope of the course. “The beginning of accomplishing your goals and living your dreams resides in the power of visualization.” Here’s where the story takes an amazing turn. Major Nesmeth was finally released and came back home to America. Physically speaking, his condition had deteriorated as much as you would expect after living in a tiny cage for so long. Even so, soon after his return, he decided to go and play golf at his favorite course. Amazingly, he shot a 74. He hadn’t swung a real club in 7 years and had undergone indescribable physical deprivation, and yet he had cut 20 shots off of his average. Modern neuroscience tells us that our brains are like plastic. They’re able to reshape themselves and continually function in new ways throughout our lives. More importantly, we have the ability to intentionally reshape our brains through our thoughts and experiences. (passage from: https://7mindsets.com/power-of-visualization/) Exercise produces endorphins. Easy enough, right? I know a slew of people who are very picky about their exercise, how they do it, what they do, having a trainer, needing this or that. Learning that exercise makes me happy was all the motivation I needed. I just get up in the morning and start moving, walking in place, pilates, aerobics, going for a walk, I just take charge of my day and I enjoy the rush. Just move people. This is "Doing" happiness. People are so picky and overthinking that they get in their own way of taking action! Taking action is the only way to get from here to there. Doing depression is the lack of taking action, being closed off and the refusal to take responsibility for the self by thinking and doing different things to get you to the new you, the happy you. Your self talk is the core of who you are. The relationship you have with yourself will determine your inner life and that radiates out to your outer life. A book called, "What to say when you talk to yourself", by Shad Helmstetter Ph.D is a book that changed my relationship with myself over 30 years ago. I just recently shared it with someone, and they said it changed their life and inner chatter to in less than a month. Awareness alone can make a great impact on your state of mind. Spelling is no accident. The words you speak over your life are magical spells in which you are programming your beliefs, actions and attitudes every single day. If you leave the exaggerated language behind, this alone can change your inner and outer world. No one is getting thrown under the bus or stabbing you in the back. The words ignite your nervous system into fight or flight, raising your blood pressure and presenting a toxic perception to your entire being. Everyone lives within their own mental world where they have their own lives and responsibilities, just like you. To think others actions are all about you and that you are the center of their world is much too much to expect. Do not be pulled into dramas as they do not serve your mind, body and soul. Seeing things will a balanced perspective you reward you with a healthy and balanced physical and mental system. With self talk, many people talk themselves out of things before they even get out of the gate and therefore, talk themselves out of taking any action. It is important not to function off of limiting beliefs. At it's core, this is a scarcity mentality. This is a belief that resources are limited, and there is not enough to go around. A little trick is to think "ALL" and "AND". This will produce an abundance mentality. When you think there is enough, this can help remove conflicting beliefs. Like thinking, "If I do such and such, then I can't do this other thing I want to do". Instead ask, "How can I do this one thing I want to do and this other thing I want/have to do as well". This shifts the entire landscape of your problem. It is no longer a problem and focuses your mind on finding ways and taking action. Much like water through a stream. It doesn't have to find places to go, it just flows there and through! And when a stream of water is rushing super hard, it can cut rock. SKILLS are ways of thinking, methods and coping mechanisms to engage yourself in in order to take control of your inner self. SKILLS can and will intercept your current mindset and replace outdated behavior with more evolved tactics. This can be called growth or maturity. It also allows you to create new neurological connections in your brain encouraging more advanced thinking. Skills can include journaling, exercising, listening to music (this can immediately change your state), talking to a therapist, taking in sunlight, eating whole foods (not processed), hypnotherapy to change your self talk, laughing, singing, re-framing and many many more options than "doing" depression. Depression is hard work. You have to say you're depressed. You have to slump, stay in the dark and not do anything. Watch the news all the time. Don't read anything new, don't try anything new or be open to anything and by all means, don't listen to something new or open your perspective. You could accidentally educate yourself into happiness. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8061256/ https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-16749565
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marlo boutte'Marlo. Some call her Miss Bootay, Miss Marlo, Bootay but she's just a spirit living in this world, seeing what's here. She's mostly an observer who likes to jump in once in a while and participate in a big way, singing, writing, hypnotizing and sharing thoughts to lift up those around her. Archives
January 2024
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