Depression and Weight Loss

Hi Tribe
End of the week for this cowboy and I feel quietly optimistic that I am heading into a moderately positive place in my mind. Has anyone seen the movie Inside Out? A classic movie that for me provided so much insight into how the brain works and how we are all influenced by our emotions. More specifically, how we need sadness to accompany joy, where appropriate as life is challenging and sometimes painful and to pretend that we ought to not to feel down is both silly and unrealistic. I think we can make the distinction however been sadness (an emotion) and Depression( state of mind). The more I think about it, the more I wonder how we are taught to accept or not accept our emotions, our challenges in life and the ups and downs that make our lives uncertain and sometimes hard. I am not sure where I am going with this. Suffice to say, that my social experiment this week-end will be to focus on the parts of me and the world around me that are going ok. My groin injury is improving day by day (still hurts like hell but not as bad), I can watch what I eat over the next period of time, get some sun and stay mindful and present. May I check in with you as the week-end unfolds and let you know how I maintain this orientation? I feel safe enough with you to tell you what really happens. Feelings and all.
What are your plans for the week-end? How are you going to offer your minds and bodies something positive and uplifting. I care and I really want to know.
Take Care
S

Ok Team!
I'm back. Must have been the B6 and Fish Oil( if only it was that simple).
Hit a road bump but that is life. It's interesting how the mind works. Just felt so dark, alone, fat, judged and hopeless. It was triggered by a situation which required problem solving rather than emotion but it took me a bit to get there. I'm not a big fan of wading through past impacts because that can be seen as somewhere between indulgent and making excuses. We are all victims and all survivors. We are all weakened by life and the strengthened by how we move through our challenges.
So... I invite my tribe to write one challenge they have had recently and what helped and what didn't help?
For me, the challenge was judgement and exclusion by others. What didn't help was blaming myself and inflating the issue. What helped was:
1. Talking about my feelings
2. Letting myself go through the pain
3. Confronting and problem solving
4. And writing to you.

Your turn

Just reviewing some of the posts and found myself marvelling at the intelligence in peoples' thoughts and experiences. Whether we think Depression is managed medically, psychologically, spiritually or physically, we are left with the challenge that our brains are ever changing and there is always hope. Similarly, the science of weight loss always requires flexible thinking and a whole shift in attitude and orientation. I suppose we are after long term changes and benefits rather than fad-based responses that make us think there is a short cut to healthy living.
Hope you are are all loving yourselves through whatever is causing you pain and remember that you are never alone.
S

Dear FrankieandSpots,
Thanks for your lovely words and thoughts about your own challenges and how you are managing your depressed feelings. I like your idea of a mental checklist. I hadn't thought about how we circumvent depression with a deliberate set of strategies; like a pilot checking on all of the functions of his/her plane prior to lift off. Once the bird leaves the tarmac, there has to be some confidence that everything looked ok. You clearly have great insight and self-awareness with regards to what you need to be more positive.
I also take your point about the "meaning" of life. I recall the writings of an author/Psychiatrist who survived one of the death camps during the Holocaust. (Victor Frankyl) who wrote about his experiences in Auschwitz. He wrote a book titled "Man's Search For Meaning". Dr Frankyl concluded that the meaning life offers is the meaning we give it. I know that sounds circular but when you think about it, it kind of makes sense. If I am having a "bad" day, someone else may have the exact same type of day but think about it differently. They may say to themselves, "what did I learn about myself today", or " what challenges did I face". Dr Frankyl said that he survived the camp because he made himself think differently about what he was going through and what kind things he could latch on to no matter how few and far between. I get some strength from this during my darker moments.
Anyways, didn't mean to go on and on.
Thanks for your message again and have a great day.

Shel