Throwing my story out there for anybody to see would bare no fruits if I didn't share with you my journey to getting well. I have tried many different avenues and I've researched my condition extensively. I have read books, internet articles, and blogs. I have listened to cds, watched dvds and videos on youtube etc. I have seen well over a handful of counselors, two different Psychiatrists, several medical doctors, a chiropractor, and a naturopath. These experiences taught me many lessons. My purpose here is not to bash on the medical field or psychiatry. I'm sure that they have helped many people achieve stability through medications. I don't know what the last 10 years of my life may have been like without medication. I suppose there would have been ups and downs like I've had and it's possible the downs could have been much worse. I do however feel that I'm being led to finding complete wellness. In my opinion complete wellness will not come through a medication that will only mask some of the symptoms and which comes with a whole list of side effects. The thing that I dislike the most about my medication is it makes it so I don't get very excited or happy about much of anything. I feel like it supresses those feelings so that I don't have the crash that comes after realeasing those happy endorphins. I'm ready to experience those happy feelings that I felt as a child.
Since I have trouble keeping things short, I will make a list of things that haven't worked well for me and then a list of things that have helped me.
Things that haven't worked well:
1. Psychiatrists-little to no positive effect for me, many negative side effects from all the trial and error with different drugs. (Most of them will only write prescriptions and they like to experiment with some high levels and use augmentation to increase the potency of the drugs.) Did I mention the expense? Yikes!
2. Counseling-It is great for many things. O.C.D is not one of them. Anxiety is not something that you can counsel your way through and remember O.C.D is an anxiety disorder. I found that my anxiety would increase when discussing my thoughts. The Linden Method discourages the use of counseling for anxiety.
3. Exposure and Response Prevention- This may be effective when you have a professional helping you but I only tried this on my own and it wasn't that effective.
Things that have worked well:
1. Meditation-I can't say enough about Roy Masters' program called "Be still and know." It has helped my anxiety quite a bit. He suggests that you meditate 3 times a day which is tough to do. He also has book called "How your mind will make you well." I bought the older edition used on Amazon. It's called "How your mind can keep you well." It's got some really great tools. (Also check into the Linden Method.) I haven't used it recently but it has some great tools as well.
2. Exercise-I've wondered how I got through my childhood and teenage years without going crazy. I think a major part of it was that I was playing sports year-round. I was always active and exercise does amazing things for anxiety. So as we get older and aren't participating as much in sports we find that anxiety gets worse or many discover that they have it. Recess is a kid's favorite time at school for more reasons than we think. : )
3. Diet-No surprise here. You are what you eat. This is as much a mental thing as it is a physical thing. I don't think you can really separate the two. Especially stay away from white sugars, white flour and caffiene. Eat healthy balanced meals with plenty of fruits and vegtables. Drink plenty of water. I try to drink 100-128 oz. of water per day. 128 oz. is 1 gallon. I'm still learning each day about diet.
4. Vitamins- I have recently been studying about orthomolecular therapy. I was introduced to it by the dvd "Foodmatters." I highly reccomend watching this video. We simply don't get enough of the vitamins needed to feel well. This is especially the case for someone who has anxiety and depression and a food allergy. I am gluten intolerant by the way. We have to supplement our foods with vitamins. I am starting my orthomolecular therapy this weekend. I will be taking vitamins in very high doses. There are 6 different supplements that I will be taking, so I will keep you posted on how this is working.
5. Spirituality-These things aren't in any order of importance. Of course striving to keep the commandments, reading scriptures, pondering, praying, attending church and the temple are all vitally important. We must include the Lord in all that we do. The spirit and the body are the soul of man. Remember that Christ knows how to make us well and if it is God's will, he will show us the way. I've learned that we need to act in order to receive guidance. We cannot sit back and ask Him to fix us. Miracles like that have happened, but most of the time we are supposed to search, ponder, pray, and then act. It's in the doing that he shows us the answers to our problems.
Again, I've gone on too long. But I wanted to share a little bit of what has helped me and let you see the process that is taking place in my life. When Mindy was out of town in Idaho, I had a chance to ponder these things and ask Heavenly Father again to show me how to get well. I watched "Foodmatters" which led me to research vitamin therapy and eating clean. Then Mindy came back and told me about Brigitte Lindford. She is a BeachBody coach and her story is truly inspiring. She has had severe depression most of her life too and she has found wellness through vitamin therapy, exercise, shakeology, setting and achieving personal goals and helping others. I hope that I can also get well by adding vitamins and shakeology to my exercise and eating healthy. Could it really be that simple after all of the other things that I have tried? I sure hope so.
