December 15, 2012
I want a change!!! I want to live in Joy!!! I want control of my habits around food and sugar! I want to stop crying! I want a beautiful body! I want to nurture my children and my husband and myself! I want to live in joy rather than depression! I WANT FREEDOM!!!
I begin my transformation today by asking, "Why am I living a joy filled life? Why am I Free from depression? Why am I willing to follow inspired action to create my freedom? "Why do I have a fit slender body? Why do my children and husband feel nurtured and fulfilled by me? Why am I able to bless my family through good nutrition and a clean environment? Why do I want to serve my family in the mundane tasks of life (dishes, laundry, dinner, pickup)?"
The Goal:
To live in Joy!!! My definition of a joyful life is a life that is boring and without drama. (Learn to desire this). This does not mean I don't experience happiness and fun! It simply means I don't participate in the dramatic events of life (perpetuating gossip or stories about how hard my life is). A life of joy begins with gratitude! The truth is, I have a pretty easy life! I have a wonderful husband who I am head over heels in love with! We have 3 beautiful children, a lovely home, a steady income and many blessings poured out upon us daily! However, my feel-great chemicals are unstable, and I keep finding myself in depression. I am willing to go on medication, I have done it 3 different times already in my life, yet, I am ready for something more lasting. I want to change the inside of me and have it reflected on the outside of me.
Potential Problems:
I am a nursing mother right now, which can limit my options. I know cleansing the bowel helps me a TON in overcoming depression, but a hardcore cleanse is not an option for me right now, unless I stop breastfeeding and I am not ready to do that.
I REALLY love sugar!!! (and it's Christmas!) And I don't want to say no to sugar and I KNOW it is a big part of the problem for my mental health - not to mention my weight, yet I am resistant to removing it from my life because it is my coping strategy right now.
I don't want to exercise at all, not even walking. I have a very sore back and it sounds miserable to dress the children in something warm and take them outside into the snow to go for a walk, where I might slip and hurt my back even more.
Of course I have workout movies, and stairs and I even have a treadmill, but I can find an excuse for all of it. What it boils down to is I don't want to change my habits. :(
Possible Solutions:
I think there are 4 parts to create lasting healing.
1. Proper Nutrition/Nutrients - vitamins
2. Healthy Coping Strategies regarding my emotions and how I talk to myself and my connection to God (self help books, exercise, gospel, doTerra etc)
3. Balanced Activity and Rest - exercise, work, something that makes me feel fulfilled (ie cleaning out a closet, some time blogging etc), and appropriate amounts of sleep (not too much, not too little)
4. Exercise - I know this is included in some of the other parts, but I cannot overstate how vital it is to creating dopamine in the brain!!! If I didn't make it it's own category, I might rationalize that I didn't actually need to exercise because i was getting enough rest or I could cope with my emotions in some other way. But I want to know that it is an expectation for myself because it makes such a difference in my mental health. And because I don't want to go on medication, I will look at 30 minutes of exercise as my daily dose of medicine!
The Plan:
Proper Nutrition/Nutrients:
Each day will start with my doTERRA Lifelong Vitality Pack vitamin and a probiotic (found at my local health food store). I have not found anything that even compares with the doTERRA vitamins and they are the reason that my depression is not more severe. (It was severe nearly 3 years ago. These vitamins made a HUGE dent in the healing process for me).
I am starting with 2 days of green vegetable juicing. The reason I am choosing to juice is because of my love for sugar. If I can cleanse my pallet, there is a good chance I will get my sugar binging under control. Do I want to juice? Not really. But I know the benefits far outweigh the discomfort!
Also, there are many mixed reviews about juicing while pregnant or breastfeeding. I have debated about this for a while and realized that antibiotics and mental health medications are "okay" while I'm breastfeeding - and they are definately passing into the breast milk. I would rather clean up my need for medications through a couple days of juicing and have the toxins already in my body pass into the breast milk, rather than add a toxic medication to the breast milk in order to handle the toxins that are already causing the problem. I do have some formula and bottles on hand in the event that I feel my baby needs formula.
After juicing, I will phase into an all plant diet. The first day I will eat all raw fruits and vegetables, including legumes. The second day I will add in cooked vegetables. The third I will reincorporate one serving of grains once per day within 2 hours after my workout. This is where I will be following the plant based food guidelines by Precision Nutrition. I will not be eliminating sugar. I am banking that after I finish my juicing and 3 days of Super Clean eating, I won't want the sugar as badly and I can assess my "need" for sugar at that time.
Healthy Coping Strategies:
Read the book What to say when you talk to yourself by Shad Helmsetter?
Use doTERRA essential oils to cope with stress, pain, fatigue etc. when I would usually reach for food.
Daily personal scripture study/ prayer and meditation - hand in hand with exercise (Power Hour)
Balanced Activity and Rest:
Sleep is important. Too much sleep or sleep in the wrong hours of the day lend me to depression. I need anywhere between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night. If I need extra sleep, it is best for my body to climb in my bed right after I put the children in bed. If I don't need extra sleep, it is reasonable for me to be in bed by 10:30. This also allows me the time to have some time to myself in the morning before the children are awake (usually between 6 and 6:30).
Exercise:
planks - to strengthen my back
30 minutes daily exercise - minimum. I will follow the PN workout plan, but modify the running to walking on incline to support my back.
Anyway, wish me luck!!
Love,
Rachel
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