The Other Half

I admit, I have been putting this one off for a while.  I've "been busy", my computer caught a really yucky virus that we are still trying to get rid of, I started a new endeavor, etcetera. But really, I just haven't been sure how to tackle this topic, and how long to spend on it. So I will just be brief.

In my experience, when it comes to healing, there are two aspects to consider.  There is emotional healing, and there is physical healing. I have spent the last year posting about emotional healing. Most people I cross paths with tend to ignore that part. They like physical answers: better food, medicine, herbs, oils, exercises, and such to deal with physical complaints. But I have discovered that often, when I address the emotional needs behind the physical pain, as well as the physical pain itself, the healing process happens quicker and becomes permanent.  A team approach works better than any approach by itself.

Thus, on to healing the physical side of depression.

I am not going to get too deep into how depression works on a cellular level. I learned about it first in my college psychology class. Some people refer to depression as a "chemical imbalance". Close enough. The point is, inside somebody who struggles with clinical depression, there is definitely something real and physical going on to maintain the depression. So, simply trying to "think happy" is not going to just make the depression go away.

Modern medicine has come a long way in creating drugs to help maintain proper functioning on a cellular level!  Thank Heavens! I am so grateful that, for ten years, I could just swallow a little pill every morning and feel normal! And Happy! And all of those other emotions in a healthy, normal way.

And just as thankfully, those same Heavens have provided the means to real and permanent healing for depression. My own personal journey led me to Nambudripad's Allergy Elimination Technique, or NAET for short. NAET, basically, uses muscle-testing to find allergies, and a non-invasive treatment to eliminate them. As I used this technique to heal allergies in my body (many of which I didn't even realize I had, yet), my gut health improved, which also healed the chemical imbalance causing depression.

After several months of using NAET combined with Emotional Healing Tools, I was able wean off of the depression medication I had been using for the previous decade. (Disclaimer: Anytime you want to discontinue medication use, please discuss it with your doctor!) I definitely experienced an adjustment period for several months, with short depressive episodes (a few days up to a few weeks), but I continued to use all of my tools, and finally slew the Depression Beast for good! As of this posting, I have been medication-free for three years, and completely Depression free for two.

NAET is only one of many modalities available for healing. Here is a story about another natural method for treating depression and anxiety.

I recommend these sources:

Books:
Feelings Buried Alive Never Die by Karol K. Truman
The Biology Of Belief  by Bruce Lipton
Heal Your Body by Louise Hay
Remembering Wholeness by Carol Tuttle
The Emotion Code by Bradley Nelson

Blog:
Unlocking Depression (April 2015 posts in particular address healing, gut health, and modalities)

Youtube video:
The Biology of Belief Lecture by Bruce Lipton

The Secret

 

“Doesn’t matter when,

It’s always a good time then.

Doesn’t matter where,

It’s always a good time there.

Doesn’t matter when,

It’s always a good time then.”

Owl City, Good Time

Taking a closer look, I pressed the Scotch-bright pad into the stubborn spot.  I couldn’t recall the last time the stove-top had had a good cleaning, but this particular spot was getting it.  Words continued pouring from my mouth as I scrubbed.  I had asked a child to help with a chore, and as sometimes happens, received a complaining response.

I glanced back at the 10-year-old.  Much to my surprise, he appeared to be paying attention, so I completed the lecture.

I returned my attention to the spot on the stove. Except for the Scotch-bright scraping back and forth across the burnt food, the room was quiet.  Then, from over at the computer desk, my husband spoke up.  “Wow.  That was really profound, Honey.”

I stopped scrubbing.  Huh?  What was he talking about?  What did I just say? I reversed the conversation in my head to the last thing I had told my son.  “You can either choose to complain, or you can choose to be grateful.  There will always be a reason to do both.”

I repeated it aloud to myself.

“You’re right.”  I said back.  “That is profound, isn’t it?”

I can’t claim that I came up with that knowledge on my own.  I give credit to God for that bit of wisdom, and I am not the only person who has received it. But the principle that, in any given set of circumstances, I can either find reasons to complain or I can look for the blessings and express gratitude, is a principle that I apply daily.

Several years ago I purchased an inexpensive, cute little notebook, with the intention of writing down everything for which I was thankful.  For several days I recorded all of the usual things that pop up on Facebook during the month of November when the world catches on to the Gratitude Kick: family, friends, God, etcetera.  What was neat, though, is to see all of the other things I started noticing after all of the usual topics were covered.  Now, please do not misunderstand, I AM grateful for the people in my life, and I think recognizing those blessings is important. But I have learned to see the value of expressing gratitude about the little things that tend to go unnoticed every day.  Like clean sheets. And indoor plumbing.  Hot water. Wood. Telephones, email, green grass in the summertime, fresh dirt in the spring, a car that works. This morning I wrote down “really soft pillow cases.”

After noticing all of the little things, there is another level.  When I find myself in a situation which, on the outset, appears negative, I look for the blessings hiding in the situation.  I am grateful when my children fight because I can teach them appropriate conflict resolution skills.  I am grateful when I find dirty silverware in the drawer because my children helped wash the dishes.  I am grateful when my husband works late all week because he is dedicated to providing for our family.  I am grateful when the car has a flat tire because I have a chance to prove that I can stay positive.

           

Last spring, my husband’s health took a nasty turn, and he landed in the hospital for several days. Friends and family jumped to the rescue, bringing meals, caring for my children, and cleaning my house so that I could be with him.  Naturally, I felt grateful for these many acts of service.  Every day, someone would look me straight in the eye and ask, “How are you doing?” I could tell by the tone of the question that he or she was expecting me to be falling apart with worry and stress.  But I wasn’t.  I had mastered the skill of being grateful in any circumstance, and this was no exception. Even confronting the possibility that my husband might be very ill and unable to work for a long time did not shake the thankful attitude I carried inside. I continually found hidden blessings throughout the experience, and look back on that time with happy memories.

As Zig Ziglar stated, “The more you express gratitude for what you have, the more you will have to express gratitude for.”

Go.  Start counting your many blessings today!

“Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is…Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;”  Ephesians 5: 17, 20

“In everything give thanks.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Weeds and Seeds

“Take your make up off
Let your hair down
Take a breath
Look into the mirror, at yourself
Don't you like you?
Cause I like you”

Colbie Caillait, Try

I hung up the phone and glanced down at the notes I had scribbled down.

I had been in my new house just two weeks.  Well, “new” was a bit of an overstatement. The once-beautiful house had been neglected for quite some time, and my husband and I had taken on the challenge of restoring it to its beautiful state.

One of the home-improvement tasks involved the lawn, which looked more like a weed forest than grass. Having only minimal lawn-care experience, I decided to consult an expert for guidance.  I wasn’t surprised at most of the recommendations, including regular weed-killing treatments, aeration, and fertilizer.  What did surprise me was the suggestion to re-seed the lawn.

“Really?” I had asked.

“Yes.” The gentleman had replied.  “You see, once you get rid of all the weeds, if you don’t fill in the holes with more grass, the weeds will just come back.”

As I stared at my notes and contemplated my course of action, I couldn’t help but notice the similarities between creating a beautiful lawn and creating a healthy mind. Just as killing weeds is pertinent to having a healthy, attractive lawn, eliminating negative thoughts is pertinent to keeping a healthy mind. (This post and this post share two useful tools for eliminating negative thoughts.)

But getting rid of negative thoughts is just the first step. The next step is just as important; positive thoughts must fill in the empty holes, or negative thoughts will return. My favorite tool for planting positive thoughts is to use Daily Declarations.  (Here is a post about it)  Feeding the mind positive attributes every morning accesses a person’s inner power and trains the brain to focus on positive truths, even when it is attacked with negative comments throughout the day.

To get started, take a pen and paper, or use a computer and printer, and make a list of positive affirmations about you. If you are a woman, please include that you are beautiful.  If you are a parent, write that you are a fabulous mother or father. Which parts of life are challenging for you?  Make a positive declaration for it! 

If you need some ideas, here are five powerful declarations that I received from Kirk Duncan:

            I add value to other peoples’ lives!

            My life improves as I lead others!

            I am a great and powerful listener!

            I am confident and charismatic!

            I influence others to find their truth!

Do I do this everyday?  Yes!  I do! Every morning.  And throughout the day, whenever I need a boost.  And in the evening before I go to bed.

I challenge you to use positive declarations every morning for a week and see what happens. Then leave me a comment and tell me about your experiences.  This simple tool, all by itself, will rock your world!

“Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds… fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit…” Matthew 12: 3-8