Going on right now! August 10-17th 2015
The mental wellness summit
click the link below to join
MENTAL WELLNESS SUMMIT
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Depression sessions are coming
For all of you who suffer or know someone who is suffering from depression anxity and other mental issues listen up. There is hope and healing. Coming up on June 14th-27th you can attend the free online event called the depression sessions.
I have listened to other webcasts from the underground wellness site. I am always super impressed with the interviews. They dig deep and talk about the issues in a real way that helps you understand what is going on in your body and empower you to take control of your own health.
During the two weeks I am sure there will be some great practical advice and hope for those who want to get off of the "Try this drug-not working for you?-add these other meds-side effects?-we got more medicine to fix that- now I am taking 6 pills and I still feel lousy roller coaster."
To register for this online event simply click the link below and fill in your e-mail address and you will be ready to go.
The depression sessions
Underground wellness site
Blessings to you,
Happy Momma
I have listened to other webcasts from the underground wellness site. I am always super impressed with the interviews. They dig deep and talk about the issues in a real way that helps you understand what is going on in your body and empower you to take control of your own health.
During the two weeks I am sure there will be some great practical advice and hope for those who want to get off of the "Try this drug-not working for you?-add these other meds-side effects?-we got more medicine to fix that- now I am taking 6 pills and I still feel lousy roller coaster."
To register for this online event simply click the link below and fill in your e-mail address and you will be ready to go.
The depression sessions
Underground wellness site
Blessings to you,
Happy Momma
In the midst of a mental/emotional storm
As I write I pray that I can speak hope to the heart of those who are depressed or in the midst of a major mental/emotional storm. I also pray that I may aid others in gaining understanding what may be going on with those they love and care for.
Where to begin?
For years I have associated with people that suffer from depression, anxiety and other mental/emotional illnesses. I, like so many others would try to encourage and help as I could. I would try to be upbeat and downplay their troubles thinking that if I could just help them to see the sunshine or "the silver lining in the clouds" that it would help them to feel better about whatever was going on in their lives. I myself had felt down at times and others would help me see that there was hope. I wanted to do the same for others. I would listen and try to put myself in their shoes, yet I would often hear, "you don't understand, no one understands." I have recently experienced something that helps me to understand more fully what these people may be experiencing.
What I experienced was incredible. It was a huge bio-chemical storm in my brain in my mental/ emotional area that was so very real. My inner self, my soul, my emotional center, was rocked to the very core. The mental storm clouds started gathering in November. I sensed something strange happening as anxiety, depression began to grow, by mid December I could tell that it was no normal kind of storm. Anxiety, panic, depression all started culminating inside of me at a quicker rate than I could manage. I started preparing for the worst. By the time it got to be just a few days before Christmas I was in an emotional/mental and physical panic. The mental storm had grown into a hurricane and it was spilling out into my physical world. The winds were blowing hard, the rain was coming down in droves and the storm was picking up speed. I was just trying to hang on and make it through the Holiday season. I had experienced some of this before, I had experienced some postpartum depression after my last child and often felt anxious, but this was somehow different, the storm was much bigger, stronger, and more ominous then the postpartum depression.
This storm felt very real inside and out, and the preparations for weathering the storm were taking their toll on me mentally and physically. When there is a biochemical storm going on in the brain, the physical body feels the effect. As the storm raged in, I felt very real physical effects. I felt drained of physical energy as well as emotional energy. I was no longer sleeping well. I spent my nights struggling through the emotional rainstorm not sleeping and worrying about how I was going to survive the busy holiday season when all my physical, mental, and emotional energy was being pulled to fight this mental/emotional storm that was swirling inside of me, yet it seemed that it was not just inside anymore. My stormy inside world had collided with my outside world and it was a massive storm system.
I was beginning to be unable to tell the difference between physical stress and the mental/emotional stress. I was just plain stressed out. There was something going on and I felt out of control. I felt like I was being pulled apart. The winds and rain were getting stronger and I was not able to hold it together much longer. I was trying to keep my mental/emotional self together for the family, (after all it was Christmas.) The physical world with its normal Christmas stress was pulling at me. I was coming apart at the seams, but I had to hold on there was no other choice. By Christmas eve day, I was drained of all physical and mental energy and the storm began to reach epic proportions. I tried to talk with some people (who trying to be sympathetic) said things like "I know the holidays can be hard and stressful. It is for all of us. Take a bubble bath break and all will be ok" and I wanted to scream at them "How can I take a bubble bath when there is a hurricane beating at my doorstep!"
The huge mental hurricane hit with full force later that evening and I was mentally tossed and turned, I was tumbled about, picked up and thrown up in the air, I felt like I couldn't breathe. I was in the eye of the storm. In my physical life things were being tossed and turned about also, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were both disasters, kids were sick etc. I was physically and emotionally exhausted and overwhelmed beyond belief as I climbed into bed.
As morning broke the day after Christmas I was able to assess the damage a little bit. Physically (on the outside) things were in a state of disaster, but nothing compared to that which was once my mental/emotional self. The hurricane that had taken place inside of me had left me emotionally and mentally broken, bleeding, and gasping for every breath. The best I can describe to people so they can begin to get a glimpse of what I felt...... Is the Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz as he was torn apart by the flying monkeys belonging to the wicked witch. I felt emotionally that I had been picked up, torn apart, ripped at the seams, tossed about, and pieces of me were strewn across three states. I was a wreck. I don't know how I managed, but I picked up the pieces and found my way to my parents house where I thought that my loving family could and would be like the tin man and the lion who helped the poor scarecrow. My family, they could help stuff me and stitch me back together.
I got to my parents home, stumbled into the house then collapsed in a heap on the floor. I began telling them how hard Christmas had been and they were like the loving friends who on Christmas eve had told me to take a bubble bath. They told me things like, "We all have Christmas stress, I am sorry the kids were sick etc. cheer up, things will get better." All of a sudden I found myself on the other side of things. The tables had been turned.
My eyes of understanding were opened and I could see that my family had no idea the scope and size of the storm that had plagued me mentally and emotionally. They could not see that I was broken into a billion pieces. In their eyes, it was like I had fallen and skinned my knee. They kissed it better and told me to get up and go on with life. Could they really not see me bruised broken and torn to shreds? How could this be? Here I was lying in pieces in front of them and they can't see it. I found myself saying "They just don't understand!" I had heard those words before so many times.
Oh my, how I cried, I felt bad for those who had come to me broken and bruised having gone through a large storm and I had not seen them as bruised and broken, I had only seen a skinned knee or bumped elbow. How I wish I could go back in time and have done differently, but I can't. What I can do, is to be more aware. They may tell me of the physical woes, and I may try to understand and sympathize, but the mental/emotional wounds may be much deeper and far reaching than I can understand. I often cannot see the swirling storm taking place inside of others, but I can be aware that it is happening.
To those who deal with persons afflicted by mental illness, depression or anxiety.....be extra kind, and remember that the mental/emotional experiences they are having are very real. You may not see nor experience their storm, in fact you may not even see a cloud in the sky, but they are experiencing it in a very real way at the moment. Try to explore beyond the obvious that you can see, and try to see deeper into the soul of that person.
I hope that I have described my experience in a way that helps those suffering to know that they are not alone even when it seems that no-one understands there are others out there who have experienced the same type of thing.
Hang on, and know that not every storm will be category 5 hurricane. Dark clouds may gather, but not every cloudy day ends in a major storm. I have since had stormy days inside, and I have sensed myself hunkering down preparing for the worst, and I have reminded myself often that there will be stormy days, and that sunshine follows.
Happy Momma
Where to begin?
For years I have associated with people that suffer from depression, anxiety and other mental/emotional illnesses. I, like so many others would try to encourage and help as I could. I would try to be upbeat and downplay their troubles thinking that if I could just help them to see the sunshine or "the silver lining in the clouds" that it would help them to feel better about whatever was going on in their lives. I myself had felt down at times and others would help me see that there was hope. I wanted to do the same for others. I would listen and try to put myself in their shoes, yet I would often hear, "you don't understand, no one understands." I have recently experienced something that helps me to understand more fully what these people may be experiencing.
What I experienced was incredible. It was a huge bio-chemical storm in my brain in my mental/ emotional area that was so very real. My inner self, my soul, my emotional center, was rocked to the very core. The mental storm clouds started gathering in November. I sensed something strange happening as anxiety, depression began to grow, by mid December I could tell that it was no normal kind of storm. Anxiety, panic, depression all started culminating inside of me at a quicker rate than I could manage. I started preparing for the worst. By the time it got to be just a few days before Christmas I was in an emotional/mental and physical panic. The mental storm had grown into a hurricane and it was spilling out into my physical world. The winds were blowing hard, the rain was coming down in droves and the storm was picking up speed. I was just trying to hang on and make it through the Holiday season. I had experienced some of this before, I had experienced some postpartum depression after my last child and often felt anxious, but this was somehow different, the storm was much bigger, stronger, and more ominous then the postpartum depression.
This storm felt very real inside and out, and the preparations for weathering the storm were taking their toll on me mentally and physically. When there is a biochemical storm going on in the brain, the physical body feels the effect. As the storm raged in, I felt very real physical effects. I felt drained of physical energy as well as emotional energy. I was no longer sleeping well. I spent my nights struggling through the emotional rainstorm not sleeping and worrying about how I was going to survive the busy holiday season when all my physical, mental, and emotional energy was being pulled to fight this mental/emotional storm that was swirling inside of me, yet it seemed that it was not just inside anymore. My stormy inside world had collided with my outside world and it was a massive storm system.
I was beginning to be unable to tell the difference between physical stress and the mental/emotional stress. I was just plain stressed out. There was something going on and I felt out of control. I felt like I was being pulled apart. The winds and rain were getting stronger and I was not able to hold it together much longer. I was trying to keep my mental/emotional self together for the family, (after all it was Christmas.) The physical world with its normal Christmas stress was pulling at me. I was coming apart at the seams, but I had to hold on there was no other choice. By Christmas eve day, I was drained of all physical and mental energy and the storm began to reach epic proportions. I tried to talk with some people (who trying to be sympathetic) said things like "I know the holidays can be hard and stressful. It is for all of us. Take a bubble bath break and all will be ok" and I wanted to scream at them "How can I take a bubble bath when there is a hurricane beating at my doorstep!"
The huge mental hurricane hit with full force later that evening and I was mentally tossed and turned, I was tumbled about, picked up and thrown up in the air, I felt like I couldn't breathe. I was in the eye of the storm. In my physical life things were being tossed and turned about also, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were both disasters, kids were sick etc. I was physically and emotionally exhausted and overwhelmed beyond belief as I climbed into bed.
As morning broke the day after Christmas I was able to assess the damage a little bit. Physically (on the outside) things were in a state of disaster, but nothing compared to that which was once my mental/emotional self. The hurricane that had taken place inside of me had left me emotionally and mentally broken, bleeding, and gasping for every breath. The best I can describe to people so they can begin to get a glimpse of what I felt...... Is the Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz as he was torn apart by the flying monkeys belonging to the wicked witch. I felt emotionally that I had been picked up, torn apart, ripped at the seams, tossed about, and pieces of me were strewn across three states. I was a wreck. I don't know how I managed, but I picked up the pieces and found my way to my parents house where I thought that my loving family could and would be like the tin man and the lion who helped the poor scarecrow. My family, they could help stuff me and stitch me back together.
I got to my parents home, stumbled into the house then collapsed in a heap on the floor. I began telling them how hard Christmas had been and they were like the loving friends who on Christmas eve had told me to take a bubble bath. They told me things like, "We all have Christmas stress, I am sorry the kids were sick etc. cheer up, things will get better." All of a sudden I found myself on the other side of things. The tables had been turned.
My eyes of understanding were opened and I could see that my family had no idea the scope and size of the storm that had plagued me mentally and emotionally. They could not see that I was broken into a billion pieces. In their eyes, it was like I had fallen and skinned my knee. They kissed it better and told me to get up and go on with life. Could they really not see me bruised broken and torn to shreds? How could this be? Here I was lying in pieces in front of them and they can't see it. I found myself saying "They just don't understand!" I had heard those words before so many times.
Oh my, how I cried, I felt bad for those who had come to me broken and bruised having gone through a large storm and I had not seen them as bruised and broken, I had only seen a skinned knee or bumped elbow. How I wish I could go back in time and have done differently, but I can't. What I can do, is to be more aware. They may tell me of the physical woes, and I may try to understand and sympathize, but the mental/emotional wounds may be much deeper and far reaching than I can understand. I often cannot see the swirling storm taking place inside of others, but I can be aware that it is happening.
To those who deal with persons afflicted by mental illness, depression or anxiety.....be extra kind, and remember that the mental/emotional experiences they are having are very real. You may not see nor experience their storm, in fact you may not even see a cloud in the sky, but they are experiencing it in a very real way at the moment. Try to explore beyond the obvious that you can see, and try to see deeper into the soul of that person.
I hope that I have described my experience in a way that helps those suffering to know that they are not alone even when it seems that no-one understands there are others out there who have experienced the same type of thing.
Hang on, and know that not every storm will be category 5 hurricane. Dark clouds may gather, but not every cloudy day ends in a major storm. I have since had stormy days inside, and I have sensed myself hunkering down preparing for the worst, and I have reminded myself often that there will be stormy days, and that sunshine follows.
Happy Momma
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