Depression and anxiety can slowly creep up on you and impact your motherhood in the worst way. In today’s episode we’re diving into the sneakiness of depression and learn some tips to lift your mood.
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This episode discusses:
How to deal with the uncertainty of challenging times.
Why you should not let your feelings control you.
Questions you can ask yourself to see if you have sneaky thoughts and actions that could lead to depression.
Steps you can take to help improve your mood.
How to come to terms with what you do and don’t have control over.
Supplements that naturally boost your mood.
Why most medical professionals are not helping treat the root causes of problems.
Don’t have time to listen? Here’s the episode all typed out:
Simply Freeing? Motherhood doesn’t feel simply freeing when you’re on autopilot in a home filled with chaos, stress and a ton of pressure. In order to survive the chaos we NEED the right strategies and mindset to embrace the simple and enjoy the few short years we have with our kids. I believe that we are called to see that we CAN rise up, get out of our head, shut out the expectations of the world and what mom life is supposed to be like and change what’s not working so that motherhood is fulfilling. Join me as we discuss all things motherhood, homeschooling, minimalism, faith and health. My mission is to help you embrace simplicity and find freedom in your motherhood. I’m Jackie from Whole9Family and this is the “Simply Freeing” Podcast.
Today’s episode is very timely for what’s going on in our world right now. The fact that Election Day has come and gone, and we still have no clear winner, fits right along with 2020. Nothing surprises me anymore! Honestly, I think a lot of Americans are just “done.” There is so much confusion, anxiety, and fear for the future. It's a really hard time to be living. But I want you to breathe in and breathe out…Everything is going to be okay. God is in control of all of this! He really is in control of all of the chaos and confusion, even if it doesn't seem like it. Your thoughts might be going in a million directions. You could be thinking, I don't even care anymore. I'm so angry. I'm so frustrated. I'm confused! This is stressing me our. I just want to know who the president is. I'm nervous. I'm anxious. You could have a mixture of all of these feelings together.
It’s okay to have feelings like this. It's common for everyone. What's not okay is to let them take over your life and control you. Life is really hard right now and for some of us, it's harder than others. Anxiety and depression are at an all time high.
My doctor’s office scheduled an annual physical for me, the day after Election Day! I stayed up until 3am watching both candidates say that they were winning. I waited for nothing, like everyone else did. Naturally, I didn't have interest in going to the doctor. The last place I want to be is around anyone who might be sick during this time of year, especially with Covid, especially after having had no sleep. I knew I'd get a chance to get out of the house alone and to get my eyebrows threaded afterwards so that's really the reason why I went, to be honest. I'll take what I can get. A lot of us put so much of our efforts into making sure our kids are okay, we neglect taking care of ourselves. If you haven't had an annual physical in a while, take your phone right now and schedule one, if you can, so that you can stay on top of that.
Before the doctor came in to see me, I was given an iPad with some questions to fill out. It was a depression screening. These questions made me realize how easily depression can creep into our life and why we need to make a concerted effort to eliminate toxic thoughts and behaviors.
This screening says that if you have been bothered by any of these problems over the last two weeks, you can mark:
not at all
several days
more than half of the days
nearly every day
I’m not exactly sure what would qualify you as being diagnosed with clinical depression, but it’s a good idea that you are aware of the types of behaviors and thoughts that might lead to you becoming depressed.
I took some pictures of the questions and I wanted to share these questions with you…
Do you have little interest or pleasure in doing things?
I think some of us, as moms, can fall into feeling like we are slaves in our own home especially when we keep doing the same repeated chores and we’re not seeing any results. You shouldn’t have to feel this way! This is something we’ll be diving into in the next couple of weeks.
Do you feel down, depressed or hopeless?
No matter what’s happening in the world, it’s not the end of the world. We commonly take all of the world’s problems and place them onto ourselves. We think thoughts like, What’s the point? This is ridiculous. We start dwelling on it and it impacts the way we act as a mom.
Do you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep or sleeping too much?
I do have trouble staying asleep but it’s not because of me, it’s because of my lovely children! ;-)
Are you feeling tired or have little energy?
If you have little kids, this is very common but it’s important to think about why you might be feeling tired and having little energy if you are actually getting the right amount of sleep at night.
Do you have a poor appetite or have a habit of overeating?
How do you react when you are feeling down? Do you head to the kitchen to grab the snacks and overeat, or do you avoid eating altogether?
Do you feel bad about yourself? Do you feel like a failure? Do you feel like you’ve let yourself or your family down?
Do you have trouble concentrating on things such as reading the newspaper or watching television?
Do you move or speak so slowly that other people notice or are you being so fidgety or restless that you have been moving around more than usual?
Thinking about your answers to these questions will help you to be more aware of the types of actions and thoughts that might lead to depression.
Your family needs you to be the best mom that you can be, especially right now. Your kids have a lot of anxiety and stress right now. Their lives are different. They can sense your stress and tension. You don’t have to be perfect but you should NOT be okay with the “that’s just the way I am” attitude. I’ll never be able to change. That’s not okay. Your kids sense that.
You may not have any control of what’s happening in the world but you DO have control over the mom that you are.
You may not be able to change the world or actually decide who becomes the next president, but God can work through you to eliminate depression, anxiety and make you a happier mom. In a sense you can really change the world by loving your family.
So what do we do now? If you’ve read through all of the questions above and you sense that you are feeling some, or many, of those symptoms of depression, I’m going to give you a few simple action steps to take. (For the internet trolls out there…I’m not a doctor but in my research over the past couple of years there are some things you can be doing health wise to increase your mood and decrease depression.)
Have a colorful diet - You should make sure that you get the right amount of protein and vegetables in your meals. This can help improve your mental health. The more colorful your plate is, the better.
Exercise – I know some of us are more motivated to exercise than others. Get rid of the mindset that says that you have to follow a major exercise program to stay healthy. For many of us, that’s just not feasible. Start small…Leave your gym clothes next to your bed. In the morning, get dressed and tell yourself that you are going to exercise for 2 minutes. Set the timer for 2 minutes. Once the timer goes off, you can give yourself permission to stop. You may find that you want to continue. Continue to increase the timer each day. (For more info. on habit building, check out James Clear’s book, Atomic Habits found in my Amazon Shop under “Book Recommendations”)
Decrease Stress – High stress levels can impact your mood and cause depression. Finding creative ways to rest and get some pockets of alone time, even if you can’t get a babysitter, can help a ton. Breathing, praying, reading a book, work on your thinking and journaling through what’s bothering you, are all ways to keep your stress levels in check.
Check Your Vitamin B Levels - A lot of Americans need to supplement B vitamins if they aren’t consuming enough folate in their diet. (Not folic acid) You get folate from eating leafy greens so be sure to eat more salad and lightly cooked greens.
Check your Vitamin D Levels - Vitamin D deficiency is common, especially because of all the COVID lockdowns. We get vitamin D from the sun. Getting outside in the sunshine is really important for mental health. The numbers on vitamin D bloodwork that are considered acceptable are much lower than what you should be aiming for. I believe, as of right now 30 is considered normal but it really should be higher. I’ve consistently heard from many holistic doctors that your vitamin D levels should be over 50.
I know that there are a ton of supplements out there so definitely do your own research but if you’re interested in some of our favorites, check in my Amazon store under “Immune Support” https://www.amazon.com/shop/whole9family
Read the book Dirty Genes - I wanted to recommend Dr. Ben Lynch’s Book, Dirty Genes. It is so so good. If you are wanting to learn some more about genetics in terms that you can understand and see how some of the common health issues, like depression/anxiety, that so many of us face, can be avoided without going on medication. This book is very detailed and helpful. It’s very much like you are meeting with a holistic doctor. Most medical professionals today, are not taught how to prevent disease, they are taught how to treat sickness and disease when it strikes. You want to be proactive and take charge of your own health and this book is a great place to start!
You can find the book in my Amazon storefront under “Favorite Books” https://www.amazon.com/shop/whole9family
Just know that even if life feels overwhelming, you can do this! You are doing a great job! Get the rest that you need and pray for peace in the storms of life!
I’d love for you to join the Simply Freeing Podcast Community on Facebook to continue discussing all the topics presented in this podcast.
To learn more about me and the resources I’ve created to help you in your motherhood, head to Whole9Family.com.
If you’re on Instagram, that’s the social media platform, I spend most of my time on! I’d love to connect with you! You can find me @Whole9Family.
I’ll see you next week friends!