10 WAYS TO DEAL WITH DEPRESSION AND BIPOLARITY NATURALLY
Hello and welcome to my blog. Today we are going to talk about 10 ways to deal with depression and bipolarity naturally.
Now, you being here means that you already know what depression and bipolarity are, and you may (or may not) know the difference between the two, but you know that something is definitely not right with you or a loved one, and you suspect either of these mental illnesses. [Yes! I see it as a mental illness, and I accept it so from experience].
I'm a Nigerian, and being born and raised here, I have seen a lot of things taken for granted (even by me! I have to confess). Things such as mental health.
Growing up I always saw that mental illness was only attributed to madness (mainly attributed to naked people walking the roads) but I didn't realise that it could have many forms and affect different people in many different ways. You would always have people tell you that "you are ok", "there's nothing wrong with you", "it's all in your head", "you are just being needy", "you need to drink more water", or they use your concerns about your mental health as an opportunity to get it to do something they always wanted you to do, or as a means of manipulation. In some cases expressing such concerns, or showing symptoms of depression or bipolarity can lead to you being put down, treated like an outcast, or even being punished and abused (verbally, emotionally, and even physically) by your loved ones and others, just because they don't understand, and in most cases, don't even want to understand what you are going through.
Now, i don't want to bore you with textbook details on depression and bipolarity because you can get details about it in several sites online. I'm only going to focus on ways that you can get over or manage these illnesses and lead a normal and balanced life. And all these points are from experience. I'll share my experiences as I explain the points.
This blog is aimed at helping anyone living with clinical depression or bipolarity manage the imbalance without the aid of antidepressants or other medications aimed at altering chemical processes in your brain to control your mood (and let's face it, these antidepressants usually have very undesirable side effects, many of which will probably make you decline them). it is also aimed at helping a loved one or anyone with depression or bipolarity understand the reality of the illness and ways in which he or she can help before it's too late! (SUICIDE IS NO JOKE!!!).
Like I said, these are from my experiences, and thus I'm in no way claiming to be an expert on depression or bipolarity; however, this works for me and may also work for you. So, let's get it on!
Please take note that they are not ranked by their numbering in anyway at all.
1) DIET
Many people don't realise that their diet has a lot to do with their mental health. Foods are drugs! The food, the water, the alcohol, the smokes... Anything you ingest in any way that alters your physiology is a DRUG! And we go around saying "but my parents eat it and they are fine, so it must be good for me". But how does it make you feel? How does it really affect you?
I was drinking a glass of milk one day and before I got halfway through it, I began to feel depressed, and thoughts were racing through my head. I couldn't help it. I didn't attribute it to the milk for many more drinks until I finally did, and had to stop. Whether it was a brand or brands of milk, I don't know, but I have come to accept that milk is not good for me (for several reasons which I can talk about in another blog). The point is that little changes made to your diet can make a huge difference in your mental health. All you really have to do is listen to your body. What's good for the gander, is not always good for the next gander, even if they are born of the same goose. With this in mind, I won't suggest to you what to eat or not to eat, however I could suggest you add fish oil and omega 3s to your diet. I personally notice how they counter my imbalances as they begin and put my mind back on track (as opposed to when I go without the omega 3s in a day). As for when to take them, I prefer on an empty stomach but it depends on the brand. I take them with water and with no other drug accompanying it especially a vitamin. But like I said, it depends on the brand. I noticed that some of them work better when I take them with food and some brands work better on an empty stomach, but that's my experience. There's a very nice brand I bought one time and I took it with food, as is normally adviced. OH GOD! When the low of bipolarity hit me, I thought I was going to lose my mind, fighting the urge to hurt myself in order to escape the painless pain and other symptoms. I had to run and go take another Omega 3 capsule, as it had been a few hours since I last ate; and in a few minutes (in less than 30 minutes), I began to feel better.
It just works for me. I currently do 1,200mg of this fish oil with 360mg omega 3 once a day. Some do this twice a day, but doing it once a day has been working for me so far.
I also love drinking tea, any kind of tea really, especially black or green tea. I find it relaxing and something to look forward to everyday, and I find that having something to look forward to which I love doing keeps me calm, happy, and relaxed. Sometimes, I add a little coriander to the tea because I find that coriander also relaxes me... Sometimes.... And you know what they say..., tea drinkers are happy people! Lol.
2) EXERCISE
I'm not regular with this option, but it's just one of the things that I use to stay afloat. I only do it sometimes (like I said, I'm not regular), but I do the low-impact kind, or play music and workout or stretch to the beat of the music. It gets the blood flowing, gets my attention off the symptoms or effects of the imbalance in my brain, and makes me feel light, tight and great.
Please take note of something. Observed that I said "gets my attention off the symptoms or effects of the imbalance in my brain". Here's why I drew your attention to that. I realised, in my case, that it's not the imbalance that makes me want to blow a fuse and hurt myself, but attention being on what it makes me think and feel.
Let's be sure I'm clear enough here, by explaining to you how my bipolarity lows are, most of the time. I could be doing anything at all, even something that I normally would love doing or find relaxing, and in the process something could happen and cause me to feel irritated or frustrated. If I try to find a way around it and can't, I get angry. Then I keep struggling, and feel "hopeless". on the road to destination-hopelessness, a feeling of heat and misery rises in my midsection or core or gut (not so sure, but in that area). The feeling is so painful, and if I let myself get to destination-hopelessness, the pain gets so bad that I'm willing to do almost anything to stop it. The pain is more like heat, like it's there, and like it's not. I came to realise that's why and when suicide or self hurtt becomes the only option, because my attention has shifted away from the real cause or origin of the anger or frustration (which is what I was doing in the first place) to the hopelessness which came out of nowhere when I got angry. I forgot to breathe, I forgot to relax, I became so focused on getting rid of the heat and misery rising in my core (which I am well aware even at that point, that this feeling is all in my head, and I'm supposed to regain control of my emotions). The point is thus switching your attention away from the feelings of hopelessness once you become aware of them. It's not usually easy, but you need to. Here's why... At that point of destination hopelessness you are looking for a solution; anything that would help you get over that feeling of hopelessness, and guess what whisperings you get as solutions... suicide or self hurt. I personally have been just a few seconds away from banging my head against a wall until I go numb or unconscious (some people become numb and desperately want to feel something. Anything!) Just so the feeling will go away. However, once I become aware thats suicide and self hurt are not the only solutions, I rush to do something else, to switch my attention off to something else. And in some cases, that's where exercise comes in.
The good thing about exercise is that actually doing it regularly, can help keep these feelings from coming in the first place; but I can't say much about it acting as a drug of prevention because I am not so regular in the first place. Though, I know it helps me when I do it.
3) FINDING A HOBBY
This can be anything, anything at all. The point is, does it relax you? I find that watching youtube video helps me relax. Currently, I love celebrity gists. Not that I care so much about celebrities, but I just find out following some silly celebs stories helps me switch off sometimes. Of course, I need data service and good cellular battery far for that, so this is not always a solution because, I don't always have enough mobile data or battery power to go "youtubing". but when I do, it helps a lot. Recall that the point is switching your attention on to something relaxing and, or maybe, sweet. You can take up crafts (I love that as well. It's actually my number one hobby and currently a part of my business... Check www.instagram.com/kokonaij). You can also watch a movie, do chores, play videogames, anything! It just has to be relaxing! When the feeling of frustration and anger begin to rise, you can switch off to your hobby quickly before you get to the depth of hopelessness.
4) INVERSION
I had to mention this because of how well it helped me on a few occasions. One time, when I let myself descend fully to hopelessness, it suddenly occurred to me to sit upside down on my living room sofa. It was initially a plan of self hurt and I intended to take a nap that way. However, about 5 minutes or less into it, I felt different. It was interesting seeing the room from this angle, and then, my attention switched to how people use this technique for hair growth, reducing back aches, stretching their backs, improving memory....
Do you see what happened?
My attention shifted to something more interesting, and relaxing things. I felt a whole lot better. This is a temporary fix though, but it works fast (VERY FAST!) for me. The thing is, once I get back right side up, I begin to remember why I invented in the first place. But, you know what, I only have a memory of it, and the feeling is gone (though for a short while), and I have bought myself enough time to do something that will make the feeling last longer, like watching youtube videos, start a craft, watch a movie, make a meal or snack, etc.
Invention, for me, has proven to be a perfect bridge from my bipolarity low, or depression, especially when it gets to the extreme, HOPELESSNESS! It is a very quick fix for me and perfect for extreme cases because, at that extreme point (destination-hopelessness) I find it very difficult to switch my attention onto something else (like every other technique mentioned in this blog). Attempting to take a nap upside down, which was an attempt to hurt myself initially,eventually became my best solution to getting out of my destination-hopelessness points or extreme.
I thank God for this!
One wonderful thing is that, the blood flow to my head relaxes me in just a few minutes, but not enough to actually take a long nap upside down; it only works just enough to stabilize me enough to move to another activity to provide a more long-lasting effect.
5) TALKING TO SOMEONE
You can talk to someone about anything, not necessarily (but can be included if you like) how you feel at the time. Personally, I don't like talking about how I feel at my destination hopelessness points. Don't even like talking at all at that point. Even at the point before the destination hopelessness extreme (anger and frustration) I don't want to talk about how I feel, but I can handle talking about anything else. if I can, I take a walk and play with people around like friends and loved ones. I gist with them, or find excuses to call them up on the phone or chat with them online (if I can't go out of the house or work, and they aren't around me).
I'll confess something to you guys right now... I'm sincerely not too keen on letting people know about my mental state, especially at that destination-hopelessness point because I feel stupid doing so.
HOLD ON...!
Before you judge! LISTEN/READ. Lol!
The thing is, I feel stupid because I don't know how to explain the cause of that feeling to a friend or family member who most likely doesn't understand how I even got to that destination-hopelessness point in the first place. This is because I probably gradually rose to that point from a struggle to thread a frigging needle, as an origin.
I find that embarrassing (Lol). I can't say that! I can't even hear myself say that! And if you are speaking with someone who doesn't really understand how these things happen, or just doesn't have the patience (at that time!) Then it becomes awkward and you go nowhere.
Speaking honestly once more, this method of dealing with depression, or bipolarity low, for me, is usually my last resort, or only employed long before the destination-hopelessness points. This is mainly for a few reasons; 1) I tend to worry a lot about bothering the next person (but that's just me!), so I try to deal with my issues myself as much as I can, and only holla someone as a last resort; 2) if I talk to someone and the person consciously or unconsciously belittles me or my current mental state, it could make me feel worse; 3) if I so much as detect a tinge of impatience in the person's voice or body language or response to me, it can make me feel worse.
Not that there aren't other reasons, but we can stop there for now. I'm only expressing my sentiments on this method only when I am at my destination-hopelessness point. If you have a better support system around you, then kudos. This method could be great for you.
6) MUSIC
Some people find setting music therapeutic. I have my preferences, like jazz, but sometimes, anything could do. Just helps a lot at the destination-hopelessness points, for me, but others not so much. But, that's me. Remember... The point is to switch your attention from the current state of mind! Very important!
Sometimes, I combine this method with a scalp massage or some other technique. It helps me.
7) DETACHMENT
This is not always very easy for me or anyone. But you know what? It is very important. I'll explain... You should be able to detach your mind, emotions... your entire self, from the thoughts or the source of the anxiety or depression. By "source", I mean what made the feelings start rising in first place. I'm a fashion designer (check www.instagram.com/kokonaij), and designing calms me and makes me happy. But, there are times.... Like when you keep trying to sew in a design and you keep missing your desired points and a needle keeps piercing your finger.
OH BOY!!!
I usually don't even realise when the anger and frustration begin to rise. And you know what? Things tend to go downhill from there. Even little things that couldn't have been so frustrating get so annoying and unbearable. However all I have to do to stop the rising negative emotions his walk away from the particular activity for a while and do something else; something that doesn't require so much attention or concentration (like tubing celeb news... for me.... Lol!), or play some music, have a nice nap, or anything else until I relax. The point is not to force myself to continue in an activity that is causing me imbalance, so I don't blow a fuse (by which point, I'm at the destination-hopelessness level).
Detaching myself from an activity that's causing me imbalance can be hard especially if I have a deadline on that activity, or I don't realise when I'm beginning to lose my balance.
One time I was working on a design and didn't even realise when the frustration started rising. Could it have been when I was trying to hand sewing a design and realised my twine was too short? Or was it when, in the struggle to pass the needle (and the short twine) through the bead and the handbag, I pricked my finger? Or was it when I let thoughts of childhood traumas creeping into my quiet mind? I really don't know!
Anyway... I got so angry and frustrated that I reached my destination-hopelessness point and started feeling suicidal. I was seconds away from banging my head against a wall before I caught myself and ran to my room to get my fish oil capsule. I popped one, and in a few minutes, I noticed a balance return. Long story short, it got better from there. I could think clearly... I could relax!
8) SINGING OR LISTENING TO A MANTRA
I sing along when listening to music to cope with anxiety and give my mind something to chew on. This concept is similar to listening to music (the method I stated before). Singing a song, listening to music and/or a mantra helps to control the wave of thoughts streaming through your mind. Having these waves of thoughts under control can keep you stable for a decent amount of time. I use it to stop myself from getting to destination-hopelessness so fast; especially when I noticed that I have somehow stepped on the path to it (destination-hopelessness).
Just in case you forgot, destination-hopelessness is the point at which my brain or mind decides that suicide is the best and only solution to escape the brewing anxiety and depression within me.
I created a mantra one time and turned it into an mp3 to listen to over and over again. My mantra, in this case, was a short statement of positive words depicting what I would rather have in my life. So I said something like, "I am a happy, successful, and prosperous Soul". listening to positive words often help condition the mind and keep you truly happy. You may want to say what you truly want rather than what you don't want. You may want to say things like, "I am a happy Soul", rather than "I am not sad".
Positive! That's the ticket!
I'll share one of my best mantras with you right now, and that is, "I am an instrument for the Holy Spirit". I repeat this mantra as much as I can every minute of the day that I remember it, and it makes a huge difference in my life. You can try it if you like. Some people may not really believe in the Holy Spirit or that there is and Ultimate Spirit of Life, however for anyone who does, you may want to try this mantra. Did you ever hear this saying of seeking first the kingdom of God? I'm not trying to go religious here, but hear me out. I'm not even a Christian to begin with, but I decided to try this mantra one time, and I noticed that things changed in my life almost drastically and got better since then. The logic behind it is submitting myself completely to the Spirit of Life as an instrument, and with the belief that the Spirit of Life will take care of IT'S instrument. On the long run, I found out that I felt so happy and open most of the time that I was so willing to give of myself to life in more ways than I would have ever wanted to before I started saying the mantra. And most of the time, I would feel very relaxed with a lot less anxiety than before and more grateful than before, and of course you know what that means; more happiness, more gratitude, and less anxiety is equal to mental balance.
However, there's another kind of mantra. in this case you sing or chant a sort of word that makes you happy or relax. A positive word. As a Christian, you can sing Jesus, as a Muslim, Allah. it can be any word you choose. However, the key is to breathe in deep and breathe out for a second or 3, then breath in and with the drawn out breath, sing/chant the word. You can also try as much as possible to think of something that which makes you happy while you will sing or chant. You can even sing or chant "love". This may seem silly to some, but it has helped me many a time to regain my mental balance.
Here's how I do it. I have a word that I sing, "HU" (pronounced Hue, or H-I-U). I believe it's a love song to God. That's my belief. Sometimes, I sing God, or Holy Spirit. I can't explain to you how relaxing and stabilizing it is for me. But, you know what? I don't only wait until I'm getting anxious or depressed before I sing "HU", I also sing it when I'm very happy, excited, in the morning when I wake up, at night before I go to sleep, and at a special time of the day I set to sing it everyday (when I know I won't be disturbed or distracted). Always in an attempt to keep all my inner bodies (or states) aligned and balance. You can try "HU" if you like, or you can use any word of your choosing. But, keeping it real here with you, chanting a mantra really does work for me.
9) MEDITATION/CONTEMPLATION, AND IMAGINATIVE TECHNIQUES
I don't meditate much, because I don't really understand how to silence my mind and turn off my physical senses, and focus on... I don't know,... Maybe nothing..? I don't really understand meditation, however, contemplation is a major factor in my life. I don't go a day without doing it. I recently distinguished meditation from contemplation... Somewhat. The way I understand it, contemplation is different from meditation because you get to do visualisations of sorts. You can do imaginative techniques which can end up working wonders for you, depending on the energy you put into it, and other factors. You don't have to silence your mind for this, but you keep it active with what you want to see or feel, rather than fleeting facsimiles arising from your current state of mind, usually brought about by external events.
You catch my drift?
You can thus use moments of contemplation to create mockups of experiences you want, or that will relax you or make you feel better. I'll give a personal example here. This is something I do a lot when I have altercations with a loved one and don't know how to calm the situation down, restore balance to the relationship, or let him/her know I still love them very much. In my moment of silence, I contemplate and imagine myself cradling this loved one in my arms like a baby, and while I do so, I repeat the words,"I love you, I love you so much". I imagine it's so serene and this loved one is calm, relaxed and enjoying this shower of love. sometimes, I also imagine the Spirit of Life/Holy Spirit take the form of a messenger boy/girl and I gave him/her love symbols or love letters to send to this loved one. I mostly do this if I was the one who brought about the imbalance. But, when I feel it was like the other person who caused the imbalance, I first say in my heart, "I forgive you", then I do these spiritual exercises (because that's what these contemplative and imaginative techniques are... Spiritual exercises).
You may be wondering what this experience I just shared has to do with depression and bipolarity. I'll explain. Sometimes, depression arises as a result of some seeming external force, like a misunderstanding with a loved one, and in some cases, stored resentment, pain, or fear within our hearts. Sometimes, we think it doesn't matter and we can just forget about it all and think it will go away; but it doesn't work that way. The heart never forgets.... Its only lets go when a sort of resolution is brought to the situation, and it's often involves forgiveness and love.
The above exercise has worked for me several times because, the loved one sometimes later comes back to reciprocate this love, agrees to resolve the feud, or just be more calm and accepting when I come to show the love physically and resolve the feud (almost as if they got all the love I sent to them and were waiting to see what happens next).
If the depression you feel has nothing to do with a loved one, or you just can't explain why you feel this way, you can use the imaginative technique to put yourself where you want to be and feel what you want to feel. You can even use your chosen mantra, combined with an imaginative technique to heal/rebalance yourself.
For example, if you like the mantra of being an instrument for the Holy Spirit, you know within your heart that any channel of the Holy Spirit will be pure and balance for the mere fact that the Spirit of Life will revitalize it so it can use it as an instrument. So you can imagine the spirit of life as a wave flowing through your body and balancing you. Because, let's face it, mental illness just as any other illness is as a result of an imbalance in your world. Most of the time, I do this imaginative techniques while chanting HU, but you can do it any way you like... If you like.
10) OUT-FLOWING
I don't know if you've noticed it by now, but most of what I said so far has to do with awareness of your state of mind, balance, and giving of yourself. Hence, you should be able to appreciate this technique... Outflowing.... This is another very important one. A lot of people don't realise this, but one of the reasons why you are alive is because life keeps flowing through you and this life force flowing through you is as a result of love and service from God to you.
Not to get religious here. Heck! I'm not even that religious, but I believe this for a fact. So... Just calm down and listen/read! I'll give an analogy and the real life experience to explain. I tend to see us, as human beings, as a grocery store. Everyday we have fruits, vegetables, and perishables delivered to the store. But are we really meant to store these fruits, vegetables, and perishables? No, we are meant to sell/distribute them. Now, imagine that you got these fruits, vegetables, and perishables and you decided not to sell/distribute them but to keep them in the shop. They are all perishables and will certainly go bad; and let's say that you did not realise that this was the wrong thing to do. That means you would have a smelly store full of rotten fruits, vegetables, and other perishables, and you will not know why it was that way. When you don't know why it's happening and you don't know what to do about it, you may get so depressed that you consider closing down the shop (equivalent to ending your life) if you cannot get some good advice on what to do about it.
Are you catching my drift?
You at the grocery store. The fruits, vegetables, and other perishables are the life force given to you every single second of your life. It is actually a must that they are delivered to you, because a grocery store is not a grocery store without groceries, is it? So for as long as you are a functioning grocery store you must get groceries. That means that to be an efficient grocery store, that always has fresh groceries, you need to keep distributing the groceries that you get in some way or the other. And you don't only get fresh perishables, but you also make money/profit, don't you?
Now, you may think this analogy is far fetched, however, think about it; why is it that you feel good, light, and happy whenever you do something for someone else? Why do you feel wonderful when you give of yourself in service? That's because you are distributing the groceries. And if you have not gotten it by now the groceries are the love, and life that God gives to you every single second.
Need I say more?
Unless you just like hearing me talk (or reading me write, LOL!), I think that's enough for now. Just try it out... If you like.
In my experience, writing this blog to let people know how I deal with depression without antidepressants, is a form of outflowing. Right now, i'm distributing my groceries for free!!! Lol!
You can find a way to help the next person. You can decide to give a listening ear to a loved one, or go and volunteer in a hospital or anywhere you like. The point is giving of yourself with love can make a huge difference in keeping your balance.
Wow! That was a long one. Lol! But I am so happy I did it. Now, how do you get over depression and your bipolarity situations without the use of antidepressants? Have you tried any of these techniques before? Did you know of any of these techniques? Did they work for you? Did you finish reading the blog piece? Did you fall asleep (OMG!). Please feel free to share.
I love you, and thank you for dropping by.
Image Sources:
* www.obatpatahtulangtiens.com
* https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/what-we-do-and-dont-know-about-exercise
* http://vuihoctienganh.weebly.com/writing-l7/write-a-paragraph-of-50-words-about-your-hobby
* https://www.praguepost.com/lifestyle/inversion-table-for-back-pain
* http://dynamicdust.blogspot.com/2016/02/music-as-soul-food.html
* https://pregprep.com/things-shouldnt-say-someone-struggling-get-pregnant-say-instead/
* https://medium.com/@smrutibk/detachment-key-to-your-happiness-c8347b0e6a6e
* https://www.seedbed.com/why-you-should-chant/
* https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Black_Cartoon_Woman_Meditation_Master.svg
* https://www.ncsf.com/national-day-of-giving-how-to-make-meaningful-contributions/
Now, you being here means that you already know what depression and bipolarity are, and you may (or may not) know the difference between the two, but you know that something is definitely not right with you or a loved one, and you suspect either of these mental illnesses. [Yes! I see it as a mental illness, and I accept it so from experience].
I'm a Nigerian, and being born and raised here, I have seen a lot of things taken for granted (even by me! I have to confess). Things such as mental health.
Growing up I always saw that mental illness was only attributed to madness (mainly attributed to naked people walking the roads) but I didn't realise that it could have many forms and affect different people in many different ways. You would always have people tell you that "you are ok", "there's nothing wrong with you", "it's all in your head", "you are just being needy", "you need to drink more water", or they use your concerns about your mental health as an opportunity to get it to do something they always wanted you to do, or as a means of manipulation. In some cases expressing such concerns, or showing symptoms of depression or bipolarity can lead to you being put down, treated like an outcast, or even being punished and abused (verbally, emotionally, and even physically) by your loved ones and others, just because they don't understand, and in most cases, don't even want to understand what you are going through.
Now, i don't want to bore you with textbook details on depression and bipolarity because you can get details about it in several sites online. I'm only going to focus on ways that you can get over or manage these illnesses and lead a normal and balanced life. And all these points are from experience. I'll share my experiences as I explain the points.
This blog is aimed at helping anyone living with clinical depression or bipolarity manage the imbalance without the aid of antidepressants or other medications aimed at altering chemical processes in your brain to control your mood (and let's face it, these antidepressants usually have very undesirable side effects, many of which will probably make you decline them). it is also aimed at helping a loved one or anyone with depression or bipolarity understand the reality of the illness and ways in which he or she can help before it's too late! (SUICIDE IS NO JOKE!!!).
Like I said, these are from my experiences, and thus I'm in no way claiming to be an expert on depression or bipolarity; however, this works for me and may also work for you. So, let's get it on!
Please take note that they are not ranked by their numbering in anyway at all.
1) DIET
I was drinking a glass of milk one day and before I got halfway through it, I began to feel depressed, and thoughts were racing through my head. I couldn't help it. I didn't attribute it to the milk for many more drinks until I finally did, and had to stop. Whether it was a brand or brands of milk, I don't know, but I have come to accept that milk is not good for me (for several reasons which I can talk about in another blog). The point is that little changes made to your diet can make a huge difference in your mental health. All you really have to do is listen to your body. What's good for the gander, is not always good for the next gander, even if they are born of the same goose. With this in mind, I won't suggest to you what to eat or not to eat, however I could suggest you add fish oil and omega 3s to your diet. I personally notice how they counter my imbalances as they begin and put my mind back on track (as opposed to when I go without the omega 3s in a day). As for when to take them, I prefer on an empty stomach but it depends on the brand. I take them with water and with no other drug accompanying it especially a vitamin. But like I said, it depends on the brand. I noticed that some of them work better when I take them with food and some brands work better on an empty stomach, but that's my experience. There's a very nice brand I bought one time and I took it with food, as is normally adviced. OH GOD! When the low of bipolarity hit me, I thought I was going to lose my mind, fighting the urge to hurt myself in order to escape the painless pain and other symptoms. I had to run and go take another Omega 3 capsule, as it had been a few hours since I last ate; and in a few minutes (in less than 30 minutes), I began to feel better.
It just works for me. I currently do 1,200mg of this fish oil with 360mg omega 3 once a day. Some do this twice a day, but doing it once a day has been working for me so far.
I also love drinking tea, any kind of tea really, especially black or green tea. I find it relaxing and something to look forward to everyday, and I find that having something to look forward to which I love doing keeps me calm, happy, and relaxed. Sometimes, I add a little coriander to the tea because I find that coriander also relaxes me... Sometimes.... And you know what they say..., tea drinkers are happy people! Lol.
2) EXERCISE
Please take note of something. Observed that I said "gets my attention off the symptoms or effects of the imbalance in my brain". Here's why I drew your attention to that. I realised, in my case, that it's not the imbalance that makes me want to blow a fuse and hurt myself, but attention being on what it makes me think and feel.
Let's be sure I'm clear enough here, by explaining to you how my bipolarity lows are, most of the time. I could be doing anything at all, even something that I normally would love doing or find relaxing, and in the process something could happen and cause me to feel irritated or frustrated. If I try to find a way around it and can't, I get angry. Then I keep struggling, and feel "hopeless". on the road to destination-hopelessness, a feeling of heat and misery rises in my midsection or core or gut (not so sure, but in that area). The feeling is so painful, and if I let myself get to destination-hopelessness, the pain gets so bad that I'm willing to do almost anything to stop it. The pain is more like heat, like it's there, and like it's not. I came to realise that's why and when suicide or self hurtt becomes the only option, because my attention has shifted away from the real cause or origin of the anger or frustration (which is what I was doing in the first place) to the hopelessness which came out of nowhere when I got angry. I forgot to breathe, I forgot to relax, I became so focused on getting rid of the heat and misery rising in my core (which I am well aware even at that point, that this feeling is all in my head, and I'm supposed to regain control of my emotions). The point is thus switching your attention away from the feelings of hopelessness once you become aware of them. It's not usually easy, but you need to. Here's why... At that point of destination hopelessness you are looking for a solution; anything that would help you get over that feeling of hopelessness, and guess what whisperings you get as solutions... suicide or self hurt. I personally have been just a few seconds away from banging my head against a wall until I go numb or unconscious (some people become numb and desperately want to feel something. Anything!) Just so the feeling will go away. However, once I become aware thats suicide and self hurt are not the only solutions, I rush to do something else, to switch my attention off to something else. And in some cases, that's where exercise comes in.
The good thing about exercise is that actually doing it regularly, can help keep these feelings from coming in the first place; but I can't say much about it acting as a drug of prevention because I am not so regular in the first place. Though, I know it helps me when I do it.
3) FINDING A HOBBY
4) INVERSION
Do you see what happened?
My attention shifted to something more interesting, and relaxing things. I felt a whole lot better. This is a temporary fix though, but it works fast (VERY FAST!) for me. The thing is, once I get back right side up, I begin to remember why I invented in the first place. But, you know what, I only have a memory of it, and the feeling is gone (though for a short while), and I have bought myself enough time to do something that will make the feeling last longer, like watching youtube videos, start a craft, watch a movie, make a meal or snack, etc.
Invention, for me, has proven to be a perfect bridge from my bipolarity low, or depression, especially when it gets to the extreme, HOPELESSNESS! It is a very quick fix for me and perfect for extreme cases because, at that extreme point (destination-hopelessness) I find it very difficult to switch my attention onto something else (like every other technique mentioned in this blog). Attempting to take a nap upside down, which was an attempt to hurt myself initially,eventually became my best solution to getting out of my destination-hopelessness points or extreme.
I thank God for this!
One wonderful thing is that, the blood flow to my head relaxes me in just a few minutes, but not enough to actually take a long nap upside down; it only works just enough to stabilize me enough to move to another activity to provide a more long-lasting effect.
5) TALKING TO SOMEONE
I'll confess something to you guys right now... I'm sincerely not too keen on letting people know about my mental state, especially at that destination-hopelessness point because I feel stupid doing so.
HOLD ON...!
Before you judge! LISTEN/READ. Lol!
The thing is, I feel stupid because I don't know how to explain the cause of that feeling to a friend or family member who most likely doesn't understand how I even got to that destination-hopelessness point in the first place. This is because I probably gradually rose to that point from a struggle to thread a frigging needle, as an origin.
I find that embarrassing (Lol). I can't say that! I can't even hear myself say that! And if you are speaking with someone who doesn't really understand how these things happen, or just doesn't have the patience (at that time!) Then it becomes awkward and you go nowhere.
Speaking honestly once more, this method of dealing with depression, or bipolarity low, for me, is usually my last resort, or only employed long before the destination-hopelessness points. This is mainly for a few reasons; 1) I tend to worry a lot about bothering the next person (but that's just me!), so I try to deal with my issues myself as much as I can, and only holla someone as a last resort; 2) if I talk to someone and the person consciously or unconsciously belittles me or my current mental state, it could make me feel worse; 3) if I so much as detect a tinge of impatience in the person's voice or body language or response to me, it can make me feel worse.
Not that there aren't other reasons, but we can stop there for now. I'm only expressing my sentiments on this method only when I am at my destination-hopelessness point. If you have a better support system around you, then kudos. This method could be great for you.
6) MUSIC
Some people find setting music therapeutic. I have my preferences, like jazz, but sometimes, anything could do. Just helps a lot at the destination-hopelessness points, for me, but others not so much. But, that's me. Remember... The point is to switch your attention from the current state of mind! Very important!
Sometimes, I combine this method with a scalp massage or some other technique. It helps me.
7) DETACHMENT
This is not always very easy for me or anyone. But you know what? It is very important. I'll explain... You should be able to detach your mind, emotions... your entire self, from the thoughts or the source of the anxiety or depression. By "source", I mean what made the feelings start rising in first place. I'm a fashion designer (check www.instagram.com/kokonaij), and designing calms me and makes me happy. But, there are times.... Like when you keep trying to sew in a design and you keep missing your desired points and a needle keeps piercing your finger.
OH BOY!!!
I usually don't even realise when the anger and frustration begin to rise. And you know what? Things tend to go downhill from there. Even little things that couldn't have been so frustrating get so annoying and unbearable. However all I have to do to stop the rising negative emotions his walk away from the particular activity for a while and do something else; something that doesn't require so much attention or concentration (like tubing celeb news... for me.... Lol!), or play some music, have a nice nap, or anything else until I relax. The point is not to force myself to continue in an activity that is causing me imbalance, so I don't blow a fuse (by which point, I'm at the destination-hopelessness level).
Detaching myself from an activity that's causing me imbalance can be hard especially if I have a deadline on that activity, or I don't realise when I'm beginning to lose my balance.
One time I was working on a design and didn't even realise when the frustration started rising. Could it have been when I was trying to hand sewing a design and realised my twine was too short? Or was it when, in the struggle to pass the needle (and the short twine) through the bead and the handbag, I pricked my finger? Or was it when I let thoughts of childhood traumas creeping into my quiet mind? I really don't know!
Anyway... I got so angry and frustrated that I reached my destination-hopelessness point and started feeling suicidal. I was seconds away from banging my head against a wall before I caught myself and ran to my room to get my fish oil capsule. I popped one, and in a few minutes, I noticed a balance return. Long story short, it got better from there. I could think clearly... I could relax!
8) SINGING OR LISTENING TO A MANTRA
I sing along when listening to music to cope with anxiety and give my mind something to chew on. This concept is similar to listening to music (the method I stated before). Singing a song, listening to music and/or a mantra helps to control the wave of thoughts streaming through your mind. Having these waves of thoughts under control can keep you stable for a decent amount of time. I use it to stop myself from getting to destination-hopelessness so fast; especially when I noticed that I have somehow stepped on the path to it (destination-hopelessness).
Just in case you forgot, destination-hopelessness is the point at which my brain or mind decides that suicide is the best and only solution to escape the brewing anxiety and depression within me.
I created a mantra one time and turned it into an mp3 to listen to over and over again. My mantra, in this case, was a short statement of positive words depicting what I would rather have in my life. So I said something like, "I am a happy, successful, and prosperous Soul". listening to positive words often help condition the mind and keep you truly happy. You may want to say what you truly want rather than what you don't want. You may want to say things like, "I am a happy Soul", rather than "I am not sad".
Positive! That's the ticket!
I'll share one of my best mantras with you right now, and that is, "I am an instrument for the Holy Spirit". I repeat this mantra as much as I can every minute of the day that I remember it, and it makes a huge difference in my life. You can try it if you like. Some people may not really believe in the Holy Spirit or that there is and Ultimate Spirit of Life, however for anyone who does, you may want to try this mantra. Did you ever hear this saying of seeking first the kingdom of God? I'm not trying to go religious here, but hear me out. I'm not even a Christian to begin with, but I decided to try this mantra one time, and I noticed that things changed in my life almost drastically and got better since then. The logic behind it is submitting myself completely to the Spirit of Life as an instrument, and with the belief that the Spirit of Life will take care of IT'S instrument. On the long run, I found out that I felt so happy and open most of the time that I was so willing to give of myself to life in more ways than I would have ever wanted to before I started saying the mantra. And most of the time, I would feel very relaxed with a lot less anxiety than before and more grateful than before, and of course you know what that means; more happiness, more gratitude, and less anxiety is equal to mental balance.
However, there's another kind of mantra. in this case you sing or chant a sort of word that makes you happy or relax. A positive word. As a Christian, you can sing Jesus, as a Muslim, Allah. it can be any word you choose. However, the key is to breathe in deep and breathe out for a second or 3, then breath in and with the drawn out breath, sing/chant the word. You can also try as much as possible to think of something that which makes you happy while you will sing or chant. You can even sing or chant "love". This may seem silly to some, but it has helped me many a time to regain my mental balance.
Here's how I do it. I have a word that I sing, "HU" (pronounced Hue, or H-I-U). I believe it's a love song to God. That's my belief. Sometimes, I sing God, or Holy Spirit. I can't explain to you how relaxing and stabilizing it is for me. But, you know what? I don't only wait until I'm getting anxious or depressed before I sing "HU", I also sing it when I'm very happy, excited, in the morning when I wake up, at night before I go to sleep, and at a special time of the day I set to sing it everyday (when I know I won't be disturbed or distracted). Always in an attempt to keep all my inner bodies (or states) aligned and balance. You can try "HU" if you like, or you can use any word of your choosing. But, keeping it real here with you, chanting a mantra really does work for me.
9) MEDITATION/CONTEMPLATION, AND IMAGINATIVE TECHNIQUES
I don't meditate much, because I don't really understand how to silence my mind and turn off my physical senses, and focus on... I don't know,... Maybe nothing..? I don't really understand meditation, however, contemplation is a major factor in my life. I don't go a day without doing it. I recently distinguished meditation from contemplation... Somewhat. The way I understand it, contemplation is different from meditation because you get to do visualisations of sorts. You can do imaginative techniques which can end up working wonders for you, depending on the energy you put into it, and other factors. You don't have to silence your mind for this, but you keep it active with what you want to see or feel, rather than fleeting facsimiles arising from your current state of mind, usually brought about by external events.
You catch my drift?
You can thus use moments of contemplation to create mockups of experiences you want, or that will relax you or make you feel better. I'll give a personal example here. This is something I do a lot when I have altercations with a loved one and don't know how to calm the situation down, restore balance to the relationship, or let him/her know I still love them very much. In my moment of silence, I contemplate and imagine myself cradling this loved one in my arms like a baby, and while I do so, I repeat the words,"I love you, I love you so much". I imagine it's so serene and this loved one is calm, relaxed and enjoying this shower of love. sometimes, I also imagine the Spirit of Life/Holy Spirit take the form of a messenger boy/girl and I gave him/her love symbols or love letters to send to this loved one. I mostly do this if I was the one who brought about the imbalance. But, when I feel it was like the other person who caused the imbalance, I first say in my heart, "I forgive you", then I do these spiritual exercises (because that's what these contemplative and imaginative techniques are... Spiritual exercises).
You may be wondering what this experience I just shared has to do with depression and bipolarity. I'll explain. Sometimes, depression arises as a result of some seeming external force, like a misunderstanding with a loved one, and in some cases, stored resentment, pain, or fear within our hearts. Sometimes, we think it doesn't matter and we can just forget about it all and think it will go away; but it doesn't work that way. The heart never forgets.... Its only lets go when a sort of resolution is brought to the situation, and it's often involves forgiveness and love.
The above exercise has worked for me several times because, the loved one sometimes later comes back to reciprocate this love, agrees to resolve the feud, or just be more calm and accepting when I come to show the love physically and resolve the feud (almost as if they got all the love I sent to them and were waiting to see what happens next).
If the depression you feel has nothing to do with a loved one, or you just can't explain why you feel this way, you can use the imaginative technique to put yourself where you want to be and feel what you want to feel. You can even use your chosen mantra, combined with an imaginative technique to heal/rebalance yourself.
For example, if you like the mantra of being an instrument for the Holy Spirit, you know within your heart that any channel of the Holy Spirit will be pure and balance for the mere fact that the Spirit of Life will revitalize it so it can use it as an instrument. So you can imagine the spirit of life as a wave flowing through your body and balancing you. Because, let's face it, mental illness just as any other illness is as a result of an imbalance in your world. Most of the time, I do this imaginative techniques while chanting HU, but you can do it any way you like... If you like.
10) OUT-FLOWING
I don't know if you've noticed it by now, but most of what I said so far has to do with awareness of your state of mind, balance, and giving of yourself. Hence, you should be able to appreciate this technique... Outflowing.... This is another very important one. A lot of people don't realise this, but one of the reasons why you are alive is because life keeps flowing through you and this life force flowing through you is as a result of love and service from God to you.
Not to get religious here. Heck! I'm not even that religious, but I believe this for a fact. So... Just calm down and listen/read! I'll give an analogy and the real life experience to explain. I tend to see us, as human beings, as a grocery store. Everyday we have fruits, vegetables, and perishables delivered to the store. But are we really meant to store these fruits, vegetables, and perishables? No, we are meant to sell/distribute them. Now, imagine that you got these fruits, vegetables, and perishables and you decided not to sell/distribute them but to keep them in the shop. They are all perishables and will certainly go bad; and let's say that you did not realise that this was the wrong thing to do. That means you would have a smelly store full of rotten fruits, vegetables, and other perishables, and you will not know why it was that way. When you don't know why it's happening and you don't know what to do about it, you may get so depressed that you consider closing down the shop (equivalent to ending your life) if you cannot get some good advice on what to do about it.
Are you catching my drift?
You at the grocery store. The fruits, vegetables, and other perishables are the life force given to you every single second of your life. It is actually a must that they are delivered to you, because a grocery store is not a grocery store without groceries, is it? So for as long as you are a functioning grocery store you must get groceries. That means that to be an efficient grocery store, that always has fresh groceries, you need to keep distributing the groceries that you get in some way or the other. And you don't only get fresh perishables, but you also make money/profit, don't you?
Now, you may think this analogy is far fetched, however, think about it; why is it that you feel good, light, and happy whenever you do something for someone else? Why do you feel wonderful when you give of yourself in service? That's because you are distributing the groceries. And if you have not gotten it by now the groceries are the love, and life that God gives to you every single second.
Need I say more?
Unless you just like hearing me talk (or reading me write, LOL!), I think that's enough for now. Just try it out... If you like.
In my experience, writing this blog to let people know how I deal with depression without antidepressants, is a form of outflowing. Right now, i'm distributing my groceries for free!!! Lol!
You can find a way to help the next person. You can decide to give a listening ear to a loved one, or go and volunteer in a hospital or anywhere you like. The point is giving of yourself with love can make a huge difference in keeping your balance.
Wow! That was a long one. Lol! But I am so happy I did it. Now, how do you get over depression and your bipolarity situations without the use of antidepressants? Have you tried any of these techniques before? Did you know of any of these techniques? Did they work for you? Did you finish reading the blog piece? Did you fall asleep (OMG!). Please feel free to share.
I love you, and thank you for dropping by.
Image Sources:
* www.obatpatahtulangtiens.com
* https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/what-we-do-and-dont-know-about-exercise
* http://vuihoctienganh.weebly.com/writing-l7/write-a-paragraph-of-50-words-about-your-hobby
* https://www.praguepost.com/lifestyle/inversion-table-for-back-pain
* http://dynamicdust.blogspot.com/2016/02/music-as-soul-food.html
* https://pregprep.com/things-shouldnt-say-someone-struggling-get-pregnant-say-instead/
* https://medium.com/@smrutibk/detachment-key-to-your-happiness-c8347b0e6a6e
* https://www.seedbed.com/why-you-should-chant/
* https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Black_Cartoon_Woman_Meditation_Master.svg
* https://www.ncsf.com/national-day-of-giving-how-to-make-meaningful-contributions/
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