The Naked Truth: Depression
Apr
27
I’m a little excited…okay, I’m VERY excited. Because I’m changing up the format for The Naked Truth that will air every Fridays from now on. I’ll reveal my naked truth and ask you about yours. So this week, I focus on depression and my previous battles with it. I’ve helped so many patients with their depression with Nutrition & Chinese Medicine and I’m excited because I’ll also be covering it during the Sexy Liver Detox kit that launches on May 7, 2012 where I’ll only be accepting 50 people. So to stay informed, sign up to my newsletter and you’ll get a head’s up the second it launches.
What is YOUR naked truth around depression and how have you naturally managed or overcome it? I’d like to hear from you, so hashtag it on Twitter at #TheNakedTruth, leave a comment on the Sexy Food Therapy Facebook fan site or one below.
I look forward to hearing from you…
xo
Melissa
My truth is that I’ve been struggling with depression for over a year but only in the past few months have I really acknowledged it for what it is, and truly acknowledged how I feel as something that is not worth feeling guilty or ashamed about. Another truth is that I’m able to write about it (in comments like this or on my blog), I’m still embarrassed to talk about it with my voice to the people around me in my real life other than my best friend, parents and fiance (and therapist). I’m working on it, but I still have about a million things to deal with and figure out. It’s a very slow process and I feel like I’m walking forward, but I’m completely blind. I also feel the need to make myself seem “perfectly fine” to the outside world, but the people who I love the most get hurt because they have to carry the weight of all my baggage. I know I’ll be ok, I’m just not exactly sure how or when, or what ok will feel like.
Hello!
@Marlee, I am so glad you could write your truth! It is very sad that there is such a stigma with mental health. Letting go of the shame is a big step healing!
I always struggled with funks but when I was in graduate school studying to be a therapist, I had pretty bad depression. I felt like a fraud, here I was helping people with depression and I was stuck in the muck with the same issue. The extra large caramel lattes I had all day, everyday didn’t help the situation, ugh!
Fast forward, made some pretty radical changes to my lifestyle and diet and feel a lot better.
I always tell my clients and myself that good mental health is a daily practice!!
I wrote a looooong speal on how I dealt and deal with the big D and I couldn’t press send. It’s hard admitting to having this problem, embarassing really.
Here is my simple list of things that I have done and do to help. I don’t like taking drugs so for me I had to find a different route.
I find when I have something to look forward to it helps… such as going to Natures Emporium and browsing for an hour. The other thing that helps is exercise.. which is hard to do when you suffer from depression because you have to give yourself a kick in the bum to get started. Oftne just taking my dog for a walk around the block can help, but it could take me the whole day just to make myself get out of the house and do it. However, I always feel way better after getting out. How do I deal with food when I am depressed? I am definatley an emotional eater which is HORRIBLE! Because then I gane weight and just feel worse about myself.
Melissa any tips you can offer on how to deal with this horrible D would be greatly appreciated.
Hey Leah,
Certainly this is something that’s actually addressed during the Sexy Liver Detox program since depression is unresolved anger that’s turned inwards that many of the times we find no answers for. I dive pretty deep on this subject from an emotional level – are we upset because we don’t feel good enough? Is it really just our ego that’s holding us back? Depression, anger and frustration are the main emotions associated with the liver, so we work at addressing this during the plan that’s launching on May 7.
Certainly there are other factors involved including hormonal balance, allergies/intolerances and nutritional deficiencies. The great thing about the plan that’s coming up is that everyone receives a 30-minute Skype consult with me where we can address private individual issues to fine tune things especially for you. Otherwise, in practice, I use acupuncture to really hone in on rebalancing and bringing things to the surface.
So much we can do by way of depression and certainly an issue I grappled with for years!
Hope this helps ladybug.
xo
Melissa
You are so beautiful, sexy, n wildly fun!!
The Naked Truth… is always, always, always, amazing!
I notice that food DOES have a huuuuuge impact on the way I live my day.
if I eat healthy, fresh food… I feel, healthy and fresh! If I eat processed, junky food… I feel, well, junky!
As the old saying goes you are what you eat!
I can’t wait for more Naked Truth Videos!
I was just diagnosed with Complicated PTSD. Normal PTSD would have been hard enough but since I was 13 years old (I’m 34 now) I’ve had 1 trauma pile onto the next. All sorts. Physical, sexual, emotional. I’ve also been on a weight roller coaster all those years as well. I reacted to something bad happening to me in many ways (MANY) but the 1 constant has been emotional eating. My healthy weight is around 130-140 lbs and I have been everywhere from 120 to 220… my body is TIRED! I exercise and eat REALLY well, feel amazing about myself and the world until.. BANG! Another crack in my emotional dam. No matter how much I would struggle to STAY HEALTHY, all of these traumas just kept piling on and eventually I’d balloon out again. The weight on my body, the way I saw myself, my emotional well being, my sanity was just… crushing. IS crushing. A few years ago.. during a “healthy” part of my life, I stumbled upon your site and tried you “power breakfast” (which was very similar to your quinoa and apple porridge) and I was hooked!
Fast forward through another (and probably one of my worst) crushing trauma and I’m back up in weight, struggling every day.. BUT.. I’m now seeing a therapist. I’m GOOD therapist (so important), I am back on this site, have the Remodeling Sexy cookbook, am back to eating the way I WANT and LOVE to be eating and I am trying desperately to make it through this time. Working hard to take the right steps, make the best choices I can make and REALLY take control of my life (probably for the first time ever). Not just for me but for my 2 little girls, who REALLY need me to be the BEST mommy I can be. (It’s SHOCKING to see how much depression and something like Complicated PTSD effects even the way you parent.) It’s incredibly important to me to raise my girls to be strong, happy, heathy women who make good decisions. To do that, they need a strong, happy, heathy mom who also makes good decisions.
(Hope that all came across well.. it’s hard to try to be concise about something so huge.. lol)
THAT is what I am working so hard for.
That is my truth.
That should read “A good therapist” not “I’m good therapist”. I’m not a therapist. haha
Hi Melissa,
I would love to be part of Sexy Liver Detox and know that you are only accepting 50 people when you announce it on May 7th. I want to be ready and can’t find the fee for it anywhere. Also, I have signed up for your newsletter and am wondering once you announce it do we send you an email to sign up or is there someplace on your website for us to sign up.
Thank-you,
C