FEEL-GOOD STRATEGIES
Although this book focuses primarily on the nutritional aspects of improving mood, many other forms of therapy can make a significant difference to how you feel. Looking after your body and mind should be a holistic experience that encompasses all aspects of what it is to be alive.
A healthy, balanced diet is a great starting point from which to address any mood-related problems you may be experiencing. However, your strategies for feeling better should not be limited to dietary changes. There are a host of additional ways of boosting your moods that involve looking beyond your body’s nutritional needs. For example, appropriate, regular exercise can have a profound, long-lasting positive effect on your physical and emotional well-being.
Similarly, sharing problems with a family member, friend or professional therapist often leaves you feeling lighter and more at ease with yourself. You may choose to try one of the wide range of complementary therapies that can ease physical and mental symptoms, and also help you to relax and rediscover harmony between your body and mind. The alternative therapies covered here include acupuncture, homoeopathy, herbal medicine, flower essences, aromatherapy and massage.
GET MOVING
Consider that one way of looking at low moods and fatigue is as negative energy in your body and mind, dragging you down. If you exercise, you are taking that negative energy and transforming it into a positive, life-enhancing force. However you choose to look at it, there is no getting away from the fact that exercise does make you feel better (see box, opposite). Any lifestyle aimed at getting or maintaining a healthy body and mind must involve some sort of regular physical activity. It is something all of us are aware of, some of us do without fail, some of us get around to intermittently (and then remember how great it feels) and some of us ignore completely. Unless you are in the first category and therefore need no encouragement at all, the key to incorporating regular exercise into your weekly routine is to choose a form of physical activity that stimulates you, one you enjoy and one that is appropriate for your level of strength and fitness.
Exercise may consist of very simple activities, even just stretching at home. If you are unfit, suddenly going to the gym and spending 45 minutes on the treadmill, even if you could manage it, would not be the best thing for you. In fact, your body would probably feel quite distressed. It is therefore very important to choose a form of exercise that is appropriate for you—it should be something that you will enjoy, the prospect of which is going to encourage you (at least most of the time), and which is not going to feel like a chore.
THE BENEFITS OF EXERCISE
Getting appropriate exercise in combination with a balanced diet is one of the most powerful forms of natural medicine for a healthy mind and body. The effects are cumulative. Here are just some of the benefits of regular exercise:
balances blood sugar and helps reduce cravings
improves cholesterol, lowers blood pressure and inflammatory markers
improves metabolism by boosting the number and function of mitochondria (components within cells that help with the production of energy)
improves mood and concentration
improves sleep and relieves stress and anxiety
balances sex hormones and improves production of human growth hormone and DHEA, known to have anti-aging benefits
improves body image and shape, increasing muscle mass and decreasing fat
Pushing yourself too hard is not helpful and may ultimately make you feel worse (studies have shown that even in very fit athletes, over-training can bring on depression and exhaustion). Start with a gentle activity, such as swimming or jogging, or perhaps take up a one-on-one game, such as badminton or tennis. Consider joining a team (as long as the level is appropriate to you)—playing a team sport, even once a week, can really make you feel like part of a network. On the other hand, you may be happiest going for a brisk walk by yourself or with your dog. Listening to music while you exercise—be it energizing or relaxing—can also contribute to the benefits if it means that you enjoy the experience more. Basically, go for whatever suits you.
Unfortunately, when you are feeling low emotionally you often lack the motivation to exercise (let’s face it, even many people who are not depressed find it difficult to bring themselves to partake in some physical activity). In such a case, you may find it helpful to arrange to exercise with a friend, so that you can encourage one another.
Once you have started to exercise, the benefits you will feel are likely to act as an incentive for you to make it a regular event. Don’t give up if it is tough at first—often you have to almost force yourself to get started, in order to break the cycle of lethargy, but only then will the feeling of improved mood and higher energy come.
TIPS FOR GETTING MOVING
The first step in beginning an exercise program is the all-important decision to get moving. Once you are feeling motivated, you will be keen to discover and enjoy the benefits that exercise can bring. Bear these tips in mind, make sure you are well prepared, and go for it!
Check with your doctor first if you have any doubt about your ability to exercise, for example if you have reason to be worried about your cardiac health, or suffer from any bone or muscle problems.
Always start gently and build up slowly. If you are exercising at a club or in a class, talk to your trainer or teacher about what is best for you.
For fat loss, it is best to exercise on an empty stomach—ideally first thing in the morning. Eat a protein-based breakfast within 45 minutes of finishing your exercise to help refuel your muscles and balance blood sugar. However, there’s no point in dragging yourself out of bed 90 minutes earlier than usual if it is just going to make you feel more exhausted and miserable. You should exercise at the time of day that feels right for you—just be careful not to exercise late at night as this can interfere with sleep patterns.
Try to exercise outdoors in daylight as this will naturally increase your levels of vitamin D, which can help boost your mood.
Keeping yourself flexible and supple will help prevent injury, muscle soreness and stiffness. Aim to include stretching after an exercise session or take up yoga or Pilates.
Even if it is hard to get yourself going, it is important that you actually want to exercise, so choose an activity that inspires you and surround it with motivating add-ons, such as music and wearing comfortable, appropriate clothing/shoes.
Exercising with a friend can help to motivate you.
Exercise need not be fancy and expensive and require special gear. Even walking can be an excellent form of exercise: you can do it anywhere and it’s free. Walking for just 20 minutes a day can make a difference. You could even incorporate it in your journey to work, your lunch break or going to pick up the children from school. Make sure you walk in a safe area that is well lit if you walk at night.
There are several forms of exercise which, although not directly considered aerobic, provide a remarkably good workout for the body at the same time as relaxing your mind. Most of these forms of exercise come from Eastern traditions—they include yoga or any of the martial-arts-based forms, such as tai chi and qigong. At the same time as invigorating your body, they can calm your mind in an extremely powerful and meditative way.
TALK IT THROUGH
The old saying “a problem shared is a problem halved,” like many such adages, has more than a grain of truth in it. If there is something playing on your mind, getting it out of your own head can often do wonders to dissipate the negativity it can create.
Sometimes it can really help to turn to a partner, friend or colleague to externalize a persistent thought, worry or concern—in doing so, you often obtain a broader perspective or an alternative viewpoint that helps to make the problem easier to cope with. At other times, you may feel that it would be easier to talk your worries through with a virtual stranger, someone more removed from your life, in which case seeking support from a professional therapist (see below) or life coach (see box, page 189) may be more useful. Either way, taking the step of admitting that you need support is often the highest hurdle to overcome. It can be very empowering to realize that reaching out for help is not only a sign of strength, but also a very normal, healthy human reaction.
BRIDGING THE GAP
Because low moods are very often precipitated by low self-esteem, a traumatic event, chronic stress in domestic or working life, repeated destructive behavioral patterns or internalized anger, it is usually very helpful to break such patterns, to learn to deal with certain situations or to learn to accept oneself. After all, life is always going to present us with difficulties, and it is how we perceive these and how we handle them that makes the difference. Talking therapies, such as counseling or some sort of psychotherapy, can be extremely useful in such situations. If you embark on such a program, bear in mind that therapy does not offer a “cure,” is not always easy and often involves a long-term investment of time and effort. However, your therapist can lend a non-judgmental, listening ear along the journey, and the rewards, in terms of your emotional well-being, can be considerable.
Many scientific trials have tested the efficacy of talking therapies compared with antidepressant medication. Several studies have shown cognitive therapy, for example, to be more effective than medication, while others have suggested that cognitive therapy adds to the efficacy of drug treatment. (Cognitive therapy addresses the cognitions—perception, intuition, reactions—that mediate the impact of events in a person’s life.)
Exploring acceptance, self-worth and how one deals with life events can be invaluable in overcoming persistent or recurring low moods or depression. Even if all biochemical imbalances are corrected, the mind’s delicate equilibrium can be easily upset by negative behavioral patterns and reaction to stressors.
There are countless types of psychotherapy to choose from, but it appears that it is not the particular school of training that makes the most difference, but the strength of the bond between the therapist and client.
OTHER APPROACHES
For many of us with busy lifestyles, making time for ourselves is surprisingly difficult, and it is often something we relegate to the bottom of our list of priorities. However, “me time” is crucial to balancing everything else that is going on in our lives.
When you are feeling down, there are countless simple ways to give yourself a boost. Just taking some time out from your daily routine to relax and rejuvenate your body and mind—whether that be in the form of having a bath, playing with the children or doing some exercise—can make a tremendous difference.
If you have been feeling persistently low for a long time, in addition to adopting the nutritional strategies described in this book, you may also want to try a complementary therapy that addresses stress-related problems and helps you to rediscover harmony between your body and mind. With the recent emergence of more and more variations of all sorts of therapies, there are plenty to choose from, including the ones discussed below.
ACUPUNCTURE
This is the ancient Eastern art of using very fine needles, which are painlessly inserted into special points along meridians (energy lines) in the body, gently to correct imbalances in the body’s natural energy flow. A very powerful treatment, acupuncture can help deal with both physical and mental conditions. Some scientific trials have found acupuncture to be at least as effective as drug therapy in combating depression.
HOMOEOPATHY
This is one of the truly holistic therapies that, although seemingly incredibly subtle, can have remarkable effects. You are given a specifically chosen remedy by your homoeopath—in an infinitesimal dosage—which stimulates the body to heal imbalances.
HERBAL MEDICINE
Both the traditional Chinese and Western use of plants for medical purposes are almost as old as humankind itself. In the West, the best known herb for helping balance mood is St. John’s wort, which is among the most widely prescribed antidepressants in Germany. It is believed to work by increasing the levels of serotonin in circulation in the body. It is best to visit a qualified medical herbalist who can give you a prescription for this, or other herbs tailored to your personal needs.
LIFE COACHING
If the thought of entering into a therapy program of any sort does not appeal, perhaps life coaching would be more appropriate for you. Working with a life coach can give you the confidence and ability to move forward in the areas of your life where you feel you are in a rut. Life coaches recognize that it is often our own frustrations and sense of stagnation, along with our failure to realize our own potential, that can leave us feeling low. A professional life coach, who can often provide sessions by telephone or email, can help you in several ways. He or she may:
show you how to set more appropriate, realistic goals and then reach them
encourage you to achieve more by working on ways to remove the barriers to achieving more
help you to focus better, to produce results more efficiently
provide you with the tools, support and structure to improve any area of your life
FLOWER ESSENCES
Flower essences are another very subtle but effective way of correcting a wide range of emotional imbalances. You can buy flower essences at most health-food stores and at some drug stores, and there are several books available that can help you choose which essences would be most appropriate for you. However, as with herbal and aromatherapy remedies, flower essences are best taken under the guidance of an experienced health practitioner.
AROMATHERAPY
The concentrated essential oils of plants are used for massage, inhalation, compresses, baths and in special burners. When chosen by a trained aromatherapist, the blend of oils used can help to relieve a range of both emotional and physical conditions.
MASSAGE
There are many types of massage available—from aromatherapy, to deep tissue to shiatsu. The best way to find out which is suited to you is to contact a local natural health clinic and discuss your wants and needs. When performed by a skilled practitioner, massage can have very profound physical and emotional effects.