Stress Archives - Page 13 of 14 - Plattsville Natural Health Clinic

Depression: My Story

December 2, 2014August 13, 2014 by elisha

Depression is a highly stigmatized medical condition. What does that mean? Many people judge it and view people who have it negatively to the point where they feel as though they are outcasts. Unfortunately our society places a high value on being strong and stable, and so, if you have depression, you might be viewed as weak. As a result, individuals often do not want to admit that they are depressed because of the lack of support they will get and possible discrimination that they might get from others.

This week, I wanted to share with you my path to healing from depression, and wanted to encourage those out there who might be struggling with depression that it is possible to free yourself from the chains of depression. And so begins my story . . .

Throughout my life I was prone to bouts of depression. My mother and my grandmother, along with other relatives, experienced major depressive disorder, and so, I guess you could say it just came naturally. If something negative in my life happened I would often experience bouts of depression where I was sad, no longer experienced pleasure in activities that I used to find pleasurable, I wouldn’t eat much, and I wouldn’t sleep much. On the outside I looked like your normal happy kid, but on the inside I always felt like something bad was going to happen. I put on a mask in order to hide my internal turmoil from the world.

My depression escalated when I was a teenager and a close family friend, who was like a mother, passed away. I felt guilt over not having spent enough time with her in her final months, and so, I spiraled further down than I had gone before and began using alcohol to cope. This of course made me further depressed and resulted in me harming myself out of anger, grief, and confusion. I felt alone, sad, and angry. I could not see beyond my grief and inner turmoil. I could not see my loved ones looking in at me wishing I would help them to understand my pain, because I was so blinded by the storm that was raging internally. After finding support from a friend and pressing into my faith, I was able to recover from this abuse on my body and the depression for some time. Again as the years went on I struggled with depression off and on, and had another serious bout before getting married. This time I asked for support and help and was aided through my bout. It was after this incident that I began a journey of self discovery. I began reading a book called, “Beauty for Ashes: Receiving Emotional Healing” by Joyce Meyer. This book helped me to cope with and move on from the traumas of my past and to identify problem areas that kept popping up, for example feelings of guilt and shame. I then began reading another book, “Power Thoughts” by Joyce Meyer, and this is where things began to drastically change for me. From reading this book I found out that I did not have to let depression control my life. I could wake up and FEEL depressed, but I did not have to BE depressed; I had a CHOICE. This concept really resonated with me and I began practicing it. Whenever I felt like reacting to a situation, for example, if someone said something that “offended” me, I would speak that the offense was not mine to take, and that I could choose to still be happy. If I woke up in the morning feeling sad, I would tell myself that it was okay for me to be happy and that I was going to choose to be happy today. It took time to develop this mindset, but I can happily say that depression no longer controls me. I am no longer weighed down by shame or guilt, and am walking out a free life by the Grace of God.

I would like to encourage my readers today that if you are struggling with depression, you are not alone. Please do not try to fight this alone and seek help and support. There is much support that can be provided from loved ones, friends, family, medical doctors, naturopathic doctors, and more. I would also like to encourage you that you can overcome this. If you would like some help through naturopathic medicine, please do not hesitate to contact me and book an appointment. We can work through this together.

Have you benefitted from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, please book an appointment with Elisha Cook at the RSNC (416-498-9763), and let me help you achieve your health goals.

Stress and Weight: The Connection between Stress and Unsuccessful Weight Loss

December 2, 2014August 6, 2014 by elisha

Some do not realize that their mind impacts their physical body, but in all reality it does. Take a moment and think about having to make a presentation in front of a crowd. Do you ever get “butterflies in your stomach”, start to sweat, or feel your heart beating fast? It is most likely because you are getting nervous or anxious. This is a prime example that our thoughts can impact our physical body. With this in mind, it is possible for our mental stress to have an impact on our ability to lose weight.

Historically, stress was a way that we survived. Our bodies dealt with stress for shorter periods of time, and most of the time it was more physical than mental. For example, stress was being chased down by a tiger. From this perspective, the stress caused a release of cortisol (stress hormone) which helped you to run faster, think clearer, breathe better, and ultimately survive.

Now, we are not running from tigers, we are dealing with piles of paperwork, financial issues, stress at home and stress at work. We are not physically dealing with our stress, yet our bodies continue to release the same hormones that would help us to run faster, think clearer, and breathe easier. On top of this, we are not getting the health benefits of the exercise of dealing with the stress of today (unless your paperwork begins to chase you around, then maybe). Because our bodies are dealing with stress for much longer, our health is negatively impacted because of the wear and tear these hormones being released for so long can have on our bodies. Prolonged stress slows the body’s capacity to heal, degrades organs, suppresses the immune system, increases blood pressure, increases appetite, and can cause muscle wasting.

So how does stress halt weight loss. From a physical perspective, cortisol, the stress hormone, causes many changes in the body when it is released. From a short term perspective, it causes our heart rate and blood sugars to increase in order to have the energy needed to handle the physical stress. This can cause not only an accumulation of fat in our bodies, but also other negative impact such as those listed above. From a mental – emotional perspective, stress can cause us to feel depressed, not get outside, lack motivation; all of which can contribute to weight gain.

Because of the large role stress can have on weight and overall health, one of the main things that I tend to focus on with any patient who comes in wanting to lose weight, is stress management. Once you eliminate stress and its impact on you, you may have a easier time losing weight, and also may feel better overall.

Have you benefitted from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, please book an appointment with Elisha Cook at the RSNC today and let me help you achieve your health goals.

Exercise with a Busy Schedule

December 2, 2014July 16, 2014 by elisha

Exercise can be hard to fit into schedules despite how good it is for us. What most do not realize is that exercise does not have to be a structured event. Exercise needs only be something to get you moving and preferably the heart pumping. Unfortunately, our society has moved from an active lifestyle to a more sedentary (sitting more often) one, and any activity that gets you off of the couch or out from behind your desk is ideal. Here are some ways you can keep active without necessarily going to the gym:

Take the Stairs

Sometimes this is easier said than done, but adopting lifestyle habits such as taking the stairs whenever possible helps to make you more active in other areas of your life.

Park Further from Buildings

Parking further from your destination helps once again to encourage a more active lifestyle. Please do use caution with this as some areas might be unsafe to do this in.

Step Counters

Many people use different pedometers or step counters in order to track how many steps they are taking throughout the day. It is a good way to make sure you are keeping active enough and track how active you are throughout the day. Most people suggest that 10,000 steps is classified as achieving an active day. You can download different apps on your phone to track your steps, or purchase step counters such as “fit bits” (I am not associated with this company in any way) for example.

Dance to Music

Dancing to music is a great way to keep moving and get your heart pumping, while benefiting your mood.

Make Exercise a Family Activity

Exercise can be challenging to incorporate into your daily routine when you are the only one in your family being active. By making exercise a family activity, for example going for a walk together, it encourages not only you to develop healthy habits, but your family as well.

Use your Break Time

Making exercise part of your break time at work is a great way to make sure you get some exercise into your day. This doesn’t mean you have to go to a gym during your break, but it could even be going outside for a 10 minute walk for your break. Not only is it good for your body, but it will help you to refocus for work.

Cleaning or Yard Work Counts

Though it is quite the chore, cleaning or yard work counts as exercise. You are up off the couch and active, and it provides a means for burning calories and getting your heart pumping.

Join a Class with Friends

Joining a class at your local gym with friends is a great way to be kept accountable to your active lifestyle changes, but also helps you to stay active and continue to have an active social life.

Work-out Videos

Finally, there are many workout videos available online that you can use to help you exercise at home.

Have you benefitted from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, please book an appointment with Elisha Cook at the RSNC today and let me help you achieve your health goals.

Your Mind and Your Brain: What you did not know

December 2, 2014July 8, 2014 by elisha

Recently, I had the privilege of attending a conference where the guest speaker was Dr. Caroline Leaf, whom happens to be a cognitive neuroscientist. There were quite a few take home messages that I received from listening to her, that I have summarized into 5 key points, that I wanted to share with you, my readers:

You are Fearfully and Wonderfully Made.

Your body is a wonderful, amazing piece of machinery that has the capacity for health and wholeness. You are unique and there is no one like you. Embrace this, and embrace who you are and who you were created to be.

You have a great gift

Though most people might think that this strictly means talents, it actually doesn’t. Yes we all have skills and abilities that are wonderful and unique, but we also have a great gift within us which is the gift of choice. You have a choice as to whether you live your life happy or sad. Some people might immediately start to think “You have no idea what it is like to be me or live in my shoes.” And you are absolutely right, but you have a choice. You can choose to be sad, angry, envious, etc.; or you can choose to step out from your circumstances and choose to be happy, loving, caring, compassionate, and whole. No one said this was easy, or that it could be done overnight. But you do not have to wake up and be depressed just because you feel depressed. As Dr. Caroline Leaf eloquently put it, “Your mind contributes to the cause and healing of what ales you.”

Negative Thoughts can be Destructive, Positive Thoughts can be Protective

Not only do negative thoughts lower your self-confidence and make you feel angry, depressed, or anxious; but they can also be physically destructive. Negative thoughts can cause inflammation in the brain (which could transcend to the body) and also cause destruction and decreased connection of brain cells. Positive thoughts have the benefit of not only making you feel better, but also of protecting your brain from damage, as well as causing the growth and increased connection between brain cells.

Your Thoughts can Impact Others

Your thoughts have great potential beyond yourself. This can be explained through research in Quantum Physics (stay with me, I will not go into it too much). Basically, the way you act and think impacts those around you (and even those not around you). Quantum physics explains that basically time and space are endless, and our mind and thoughts are able to reach across this expanse, and impact one another, because of this common connection that we each possess. As a result, if we are angry, bitter, and ungrateful; this not only affects our bodies, but can also impact others.

Stress is not the Enemy

Many people think that stress is a bad thing. This is actually not quite true. It is actually how we respond to stress that is either beneficial or destructive. If you remain positive in the face of struggles and stress, you are more likely to live longer according to recent research. On the other hand, if you tend to be negative in regards to your stress, you are more likely to die early.

The bottom line is, don’t you owe it to yourself to start changing your thinking? You do not have to continue to live in the critical mindset that you may have, and you can choose to change your thoughts and perceptions to those that will be health promoting.

Have you benefitted from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, please book an appointment with Elisha Cook at the RSNC today and let me help you achieve your health goals.