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looking for comfort
(Note: I would also have liked to pick the category "Spirituality" for this question as it's also quite relevant)
I have somewhat recently been diagnosed with dysthymia. I have days that are better than others, but on my worst days, I find myself needing some kind of comfort and looking for it in all kinds of places.
Sometimes it's listening to music or reading stories about cute or happy things, sometimes it's talking to a friend about how I feel, sometimes it's just being with another person and knowing I'm safe, for lack of a better word. Some days I can't seem to find anything that will make me feel better and I feel like I'm drowning in my own mind.
I'm also a Christian. However, I never seem to be able to find the motivation to spend time in prayer or reading the Bible. When I'm feeling down, never do I even think about turning to God for comfort.
I don't know how to feel/think about that. I guess I'm asking for people's thoughts or ideas on what I can do.
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Want to answer more questions in the Health & Fitness category?
Maybe give some free advice about: Mental health?
Since you state you're a Christian, you know that you have a soul. A soul is made up of pure energy. Therefore, if your physical or mental or total package of energy is low, you vibrate at a lower frequency. I know that might sound really weird but its not a bunch of baloney. I will post a link to an article that explains what it is and things to do to raise those energies.
Here's a basic idea: As described by Cassandra Sturdy; "Your ‘vibration’ is a fancy way of describing your overall state of being. Everything in the universe is made up of energy vibrating at different frequencies. Even things that look solid are made up of vibrational energy fields at the quantum level. This includes you."
Since what you have is a mild but long lasting depression, anything that would help you overall is a good thing to try. Then again, the article link i post now does not mention depression but I will show you the link to depression in a bit.
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
I have had the occasional situation based depression. I know how tiring it is to have for just a day or two. I don't like staying in that state for long and God knows you can't function well and do your utmost for Him if you feel like you can barely function. This is all common knowledge among natural, holistic and spiritual people, but it is too little spoken about.
I don't know if Drs. have tried treating you either with medicine or not but no matter, there's a great chance you can either improve your situation or be totally healed of your problem. I'm not saying its totally for sure as every person is unique and a little different, but people are being helped every day.
Some of the things I saw listed in raising ones vibration is also targeted at the mind (which is one of the things that make up your over all state of being) with other more specific things to do when there is depression of any sort.
Your mind works best when the level of NT's neuro-transmitters is high. These help making the connections in the brain and when the levels get too low, it is said the "NT levels are depressed" another word for describing 'too low'. We are meant to function on high levels. Without any NT's your mind is not going to be able to process or want or desire to do the simple things you need to do like get up in morning, shower, dress, eat, etc. When depressed, most people do not want to do anything, totally lacking desire or 'the energy'.
That is the connection between the list in the article and depression and how it can help.
Here is a list I have made from gathering of various lists on line. The very same list of options to try, which I gave my daughter when she was depressed after a break up with boyfriend. The therapist she went to see for her one time free appt. thru work knew she'd not be able to come back, and so gave her this exact same list. I just explain a bit more.
Things to do to raise your NT's thereby feeling depression go away.
1. Laughter is the best medicine. It is still true but it seems to target NT levels raising them. You have your own brand of humor you react to and start laughing. Keep that in mind and choose to watch comedy movies or comedians doing their routine on stage.
2.Meditate. This is also on the list for raising vibrations but will also raise your NT levels. It calms you to do so and only requires 10 minutes a day. It's hard to focus when you are in the midst of worrying and empty your mind of things that upset you. So do what you already do, listening to music or reading stories of cute happy things to distract your mind from being tensed and worried, and at the end of story or song, just sit quietly for a bit with eyes closed to keep out visual distractions and it will be easier to do short bits of meditation.
3. Movement: this is also in the article under 'get your blood pumping'. Its a known thing that exercise releases endorphins in you, some of the hormones that make up the NTs. Your body when in optimum emotional/mental health is able to produce all the NT's you need but lifes' stress will lower these levels so this all has to become a weekly or daily practice. Movement can be walking, jogging, dancing to a song in the living room, or skipping. I remembered skipping as a little child and when I tried doing that outdoors down the street, I felt a moment of embarassment wondering if anyone might see me but the motion of skipping worked instant wonders in me at a time I had short term situational depressed feelings. I couldnt do it without being consumed in giggles and feeling like my heart was a balloon floating higher and higher. This means its working. You will find what type of moving of your body works the fastest and best for you.
4. Hugging. There are many you tube videos on hugging, bumper stickers on having hugged the kids today, etc. It is way more important than you'd think. The suggested amount to remain in good spirits is 8 hugs a day and yet many people get little to none every day of their life.
Heres a link explaining it:
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
You may feel weird asking someone to hug you but theres a way to do this naturally, you can't give a hug without getting one in return. They mentioned the heart to heart connection in a hug, meaning a full frontal hug. Not the side armed hug of your shoulders that males tend to do with females afraid the girls or his self would have problems with that. The other to avoid is where two people act like they are going to do the frontal hug but lean over, keeping space between their bodies and weakly giving a few pats on the recipients shoulder. I have gotten all those kinds of hugs and the only one that makes me instantly feel those excited happy floaty heart feelings is the frontL big bear hug that lasts more than a couple seconds. People are so afraid these days of connection with others and will make a hug last only a second or two. I shoot for 5 or more seconds. You will experience the difference if you hug people for varying times, short or longer. Only the longer ones seem to allow for that magic to happen.
5. Music: You are already doing this but I have something to share that may help you focus better and really use this as a tool to raise your NTs when depressed. I use this one the most as it's easiest for me, I am on the computer a lot and have lots of my music on there. Listen to all the songs you have and pick out the couple of songs where the melody is one that touches your heart and makes it feel buoyant like a balloon or soap bubble, just floating higher. Its not the words/lyrics that count, I can ignore them, its the melody that works.(sound therapy)That's when you know that particular melody is one that will help raise your depression or even just when feeling stress which I will do. Like when we had car problems and when we got it back from mechanic, it acted up on the way home again. That was instant stress for me. Your songs will be unique to you, but for an example, I will listen to the song 'Clocks' by Coldplay because that melody works better for me than any other and I will listen to the whole thing 3 times at least if not work. Like hugs, or skipping, it's an instant shot of relief of that down feeling. I also happen to like using a christian singer from way back, Tammy Trent's song 'Move with It' and do the same. As you see, it doesn't matter whether a Christian song or not, its the melody that helps me.
Do all this and see if it helps at all. It should because obviously, your levels of neuro transmitters are low, not missing. So hopefully these will help raise the levels, thereby making you feel no longer like you have dysthymia. I am not a Dr. hon, but this is just stuff from experience that I have read or heard about from others and have used and like my daughter who also used it and we've both found it works great. Granted we don't have what you have, not clinical depression either which is really the body not being able to make its own NTs. Then Drs give people synthetic ones to make up for the loss. That is not your issue so therefore, I believe what I've written can only help you feel better. I can't say how often you'll need to do these things to keep feeling better with your disorder, but I am sure you will be able to figure it out over a short time period.
I would enjoy a message from you in the future, letting me know how its' working for you. Just go to my advice column by my name 'Dragonfly' and choose the button to write to me from there and only I will get that message.
Don't forget to use the raising your vibration ones too.
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