Cold & Flu & Mental ill Health

Cold and flu season is creeping up fast. A couple of bugs have already gone through my house and I have managed to dodge them. I don't tend to get sick, like hardly ever. Typically I will catch one good cold in spring, somehow I made it through an entire year last year without catching a single cold. I am in no way a germaphobe, I just somehow manage to dodge it all. But I deal with a different kind of sickness, an illness of the mental kind, and that tends to plague me more often than my family is plagued by head colds

I've learned a lot about managing and even preventing some forms of mental illness. I tend to struggle with the seasonal kind but have also dealt with what I call "circumstantial depression" and the "for no apparent reason" depression. I'd like to share some things I have learned along the way in hopes that if you are struggling maybe there's something here you have not thought of or tried before. Just like chicken noodle soup and Ginger ale help make my cold & flu symptoms a little less intense, these suggestions help to ease my mental symptoms.

• Invest in some good quality supplements and start taking them now. Not only do they take a while to stockpile in your system, but by the time the sadness hits, you could be so far depleted that it will take a very long time to refill the empty tank. Look for higher quality supplements to help fill in the nutritional gaps, and let's be honest most of us have nutritional gaps the size of the Grand Canyon. A lot of our so-called "food" today is so over-processed and chemically treated that it is almost impossible to get all our daily nutrients from food alone. Pivotal vitamins for me have been magnesium, B Vitamins and Vitamin D drops.

• Get moving! Exercise plays a pivotal role in managing my mental health. This year was the first year I ever joined a gym and it has proven to be a great investment for me. Exercise doesn't have to be dreadful, walk, run, ride a bike, workout videos, gym membership, anything that gets you moving and for me a lot of times my body has to break a sweat to be beneficial. I need to see my stress crying to feel better! If I go a week without it, I can really feel it mentally.

• Zone in on your diet. I have recently read a lot on the gut/brain connection. An unhealthy gut = unhealthy mind. Something like 85% of the serotonin (the feel-good chemical in your mind) comes from your gut! That's quite fascinating to me. If you have been on antibiotics, birth control, or just plain eaten poorly your gut could be under stress and it could be preventing you from properly absorbing the necessary vitamins and minerals from your food.

• Take your thoughts captive, take control over what you think about. When a negative thought comes in, grab it and press into it and ask "why am I thinking this, why am I feeling this way" Work it out before it has time to take root and manifest itself into something much greater than it needs to be. Leaving harmful thoughts (or worry's and fears) unchecked can lead to them spiraling out of control and eventually they can take full control of your mind, leading to panic & anxiety. Renew your mind daily, it is difficult to do yet very rewarding. Kind of like lifting weights to build muscle, your strengthening your mind muscles!

"More than anything you guard, protect your mind, for life flows from it." Proverbs 4:23

• Reach out to others, do not hibernate at home and become a recluse. Force yourself to get out there, as difficult as it is, the worst thing you can do for your mental health is to stay home alone day in and day out. We were created for community, living in isolation goes against our very being and it gets very very dark in isolation. You don't need a lot of people, but you do need a couple close, personal people you can depend on who you can call anytime, who will pray for you and be willing to check in with you when your absence is being noticed.

• I am a believer in God, I have known depression with Him and depression without Him, they are two very different experiences that I may go into in another blog. I pray you can find the peace that passes all understanding and know what it is like to have a light burning in your soul even when your world is completely surrounded in darkness. Prayer is powerful, use it.

• Keep a gratitude journal, force yourself to write down at least 1 thing every day that you are grateful for, this practice will help shift your brain from a place of worry and anxiety to a place of peace and thankfulness, even if momentarily, it will help build the practice of shifting your focus from negative to positive

• Volunteer, get out there and get the focus off yourself and spread light to someone else. One winter I volunteered at a Seniors Center where I went in weekly to read to a lady who could no longer read or talk. She wanted me to read scripture to her. It was one of the most humbling things I have ever done, it seemed so simple, yet it was so touching to her. It is easy yo get caught up in our own little world and sucked into our grief; when you spent time with those who are shut-in and lonely, it really will challenge you to change your perspective.

• Don't define yourself by your mental illness. I am not depressed, I am a human who is struggling with depression, BIG difference. If I keep telling myself I am depressed, I will live that out, if I keep telling myself I am fighting depression, I will live that out.

• Finally, don't be afraid of medication. There is definitely a time for them. There have been times when my mind and body were just too tired to heal. For me my meds are like a band-aid, a temporary fix until I am ready to deal and heal. My anxiety and depression are side effects to a much deeper issue. I've had to do a lot of soul searching to bring light to the things that I have hidden or not dealt with, fears, disappointments, tragedies, life not turning out the way I had pictured, worries, broken relationships and more. Take the time to rest, but then get up & get working on your healing journey. Medication is only a small piece of the healing puzzle, don't think it will solve all your problems. Good mental health is a continual work of mind, body & soul. When one is lacking, they will all lack.

I fully believe that a lot of mental battles can be won. Everyone at some point will indeed struggle with some form of mental ill-health. Like our bodies catch a cold, our minds get ill too. That to me is a natural part of life. But we are not meant to stay there. There is hope, there is healing. Like the sun rises again, so will your smile. Trust the process and have faith that brighter days are out there and you will get to experience them.

Please feel free to share some of your go-to's