Posted by:
lostsoul
(
)
Date: January 20, 2012 11:02AM
westernwillows Wrote:
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> I've had depression on and off (the worst being
> when I was TBM, the second worst being now) I've
> had it bad enough to the point of making suicide
> attempts when I was a teenager. Antidepressants
> can be a wonderful thing, and for many people are
> very very necessary.
>
> However...
>
> At least for me, lifestyle changes were the #1
> thing that helped me overcome my depression. When
> I moved out of my parent's house and stopped
> attending church, my depression lifted
> dramatically! I would still have a down day here
> and there, but I filled my time with activities
> and people that I loved. Exercise is vitally
> important for my mental health, and I have to make
> sure I do something active every day. How many
> TBM women take the time to exercise daily? Take
> time for friends, just to hang out as girls (or
> with the boys), or sit and meditate for 15
> minutes? Hard to do when you have four children
> under age 5 screaming for your attention. When I
> was 7, my TBM mom had a complete mental breakdown
> (3 kids was WAY too much for her) After that,
> every day, she left us in childcare at the gym for
> two hours while she exercised. It helped her
> immensely. It was her treat to herself. My
> depression now is caused by being in a place that
> I hate, with very few friends (and the ones that I
> have aren't close friends) and counting down the
> days until I get out of here. I do what I can to
> keep the depression at bay, but every day is a
> struggle. I would love to change my situation,
> but I realize in the long run being here is going
> to get me to a better place.
>
> As far as not sleeping at night, how many TBM
> women are sucking down the sugar and caffeine all
> day, eating sugary cookies and sugary punch at
> evening meetings, feeding their kids processed
> white carbs? No kidding you're not going to
> sleep--your body has way too much energy! DH is a
> caffeine addict and wonders why he can't
> sleep--and I don't feel bad for him as long as he
> is drinking those energy drinks all full of sugar
> and caffeine and eating carbs all day long. A
> simple change in diet (fruits, veggies, protein)
> cut out the soda and add a little exercise and I
> bet the vast majority of these TBM women will be
> able to get off the antidepressants and sleeping
> pills.
It is interesting that you mention this. I recently posted on another forum that for Mormons, sugar seems to be the drug of choice as opposed to alcohol.
I think that everything is done best in moderation. One glass of red wine at the end of the day is good for the heart, and a good source of anti oxidants that the body needs. A good diet of frutis, veggies, and proteins, as you said, also reinforces those things.
Kind of a funny story...My little brother has been inactive for years, and loves a good red wine. I ordered him a really great Cabernet off of wineshopper.com for Christmas. When he got it, he called me and said, "Hey, Sis, thanks for the booze! If I talk to one of your girls on Facebook, what am I supposed to say you sent me, chocolate milk?" LOL