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Blog Entry 105 of 124 Bad Mom
I call myself Bad Mom because at the time I came up with it, I was learning about the assumptions we put behind our words. I was following the pattern of not believing that my kids are okay, and speaking to them from that basis. I changed that, and it made a big difference. I am from Utah and my people are still living there. My husband was in the Air Force and we rattled around until we saw Colorado, and we stuck.

Blog Url: http://denver.yourhub.com/~Huh

Nonspecific Therapies for your Mood
Contributed by: Lisa Arata   on 7/22/2008

When you have emotional troubles but you don't want to go on medication nor into talk therapy, there are still many powerful things you can do for yourself. Most of you know these, but have you ever seen a list? And, have you looked at these things before you really needed them? They are suggestions that you can carry around with you before the summer ends and school starts, and then the cold weather, the holidays, and the dark sets in.

Look at me! I sound like I'm preparing for depression! Well, I'm also preparing for an active autumn and winter by deciding on some work to do. Like, I'm pretty good at paint prep and cleaning up large household messes. I might do that when there's no more weeding.

But okay, here are the things you can do to offset the helplessness of mood change.

1. Be honest about where your heart is. If you're in a situation you don't want to be in, then have the integrity to leave. Or if you're upset and the conditions make you confused, again turn to what your heart is saying and believe in yourself. You will feel relieved and able to breathe again.

2. Develop a steady habit of doing some form of exercise. Don't make it what somebody told you it had to be--make it something you enjoy or don't mind doing. Just show up for it on a scheduled basis. Walking is good. Walking the dog or the cat or the ferret. Biking to the store or the library. Go to the gym and get on a treadmill, even if it's for five minutes, three days a week. When you exercise you are improving the chemistry of your body and mind.

Get a massage. Stretch. Try acupuncture.

I have been informedabout tap dancing: it's good exercise, it's something inexperienced people can learn to do well, and when you make music with other people it feels wonderful. I watched a recital a few weeks ago. It was pretty cool.

3. Get your nutrition in line. Omega 3 fatty acids such as those in fish oil are good for the fatty membranes surrounding your nerve cells. Then your neural impulses travel much easier, insulated and regulated. Many cellular functions depend on a balance of omega 3's and omega 6's. The former come from algae and other green sources, even when animals have eaten them. That's why salmon is good and so are grass-fed cattle better. Omega 6's come from grain and vegetable oils. There's an optimal ratio, and our typical diet is out of balance.

Fiber is also supposed to be good for clearing out your bowels and helping them function better in ways that affect your mental clarity.

Aspartame mimics some of the neurotransmitters and it isn't good for your mood.

I don't think it's productive to say you have to clean up your diet right now and completely change it. Me, I'm lousy at that kind of change. I think a nudge in the right direction can produce great changes. I've decided not to drink diet soda anymore. If you've read my blog, you know I haven't managed to stop drinking alcohol. But I'm doing better about the caffeine and the whole grains.

4. Improve your interactions with others.

a. The tendency to isolate yourself has effects on your nervous system and is an indicator that you're in need of some balance. Doing things to counter depression should help you feel more socially available.

b. Start paying attention to behaviors rather than the character of the person doing the behavior. Criticizing a person's character is serious business and doesn't produce any happiness at all, where addressing someone's behavior might. And when you address the behavior you need to talk about how you feel-- but not the feeling you have toward them, like anger, but more like the feeling inside you, like fear or sadness or loneliness. Then request them to behave differently.

c. Start listening to others well. Ask them what's on their mind, how they feel about it, what they want to do with it and then say how you're feeling to hear about it. This is what I do the least, and I intend to change that right now.

5. Get involved in community. There are people who need help, who are trying to get something productive done, and they need your time and attention.You can join a book group, or go to meetup.com or craigslist if you're low on actual friends and contacts as I am. I think this winter I'm going to try tutoring ESL or reading with Right-to Read.

A good source for reading about this stuff is a book called The Instinct to Heal by David Servan-Schreiber. In it he also talks about light therapy, about waking up gently in the morning, about eye-movement therapy to heal trauma, and some of the things above.


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Showing 1-3 of 3 comments
Submitted By: Katherine Jerome
posted on 7/23/2008 @ 8:00:23 AM
Rated Blog Entry
You've come a long way baby!! You have great things to share, and this blog tells me who Lisa really is. Thanks for the beautiful insight. Your ideas are solid and bright.
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Submitted By: Michael Rule
posted on 7/23/2008 @ 7:07:30 AM
Rated Blog Entry
6. Shoot at squirrels with BB guns. I promise you'll laugh the first time you hit one.
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Submitted By: Gladys Mercier
posted on 7/22/2008 @ 8:20:29 PM
Rated Blog Entry
Reading the New Testament is great therapy too Lisa.
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Showing 1-3 of 3 comments
CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Lisa Arata

Greeley , CO

Lisa Arata has posted 124 blog entries and 177 comments since joining on 4/18/2007. Lisa Arata 's average blog rating is 4.79.
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