People will often tell you that happiness is a choice. This though is not always th case. If you have ever suffered from any form of depression you will know that choosing to be happy is not always an option and that it can actually make the detression worse. WHAT? I know that sounds completely impossible. How can sending out positive vibes send back negative vibes? Well there is an easy answer. Pretending to be happy is more exhausting than just being able to feel how you feel. In pretending to be happy the exhaustiong can increase the depression because by the time you are done acting you are more tired and therfore it is harder to do the other things in your life you need to do. It is harder to convince yourself to get out of bed, to go to work, to get the kids up and out the door to school, to go to the gym and to eat healthy. It is hard to want to spend time around people that you feel you need to put an act on in front of. Why would you want to do anything where you have to spend the day acting, to come home more exhaueted nd feel worse then you did when the alarm clock rang that morning?
How then does this relate to someone who is trying to batle obesity or just simply live a healthier life? Imagine spending the day, everyday, for two weeks doing the most exhausting acitivity you can think of. Now imagine that while doing that acitivty you are still expected to complete all your other daily tasks and meet the expectations that have been put on you by yourself and others. You still are expected to go to work, clean the house, prepare healthy meals, workout, take care of the kids, help with homework, finish everything on time and get everyone to their extra activities. What in this list of things that you have to do are you going to drop first? The working out and/or healthy eating. Which ever goes first the next shortly follows. Slowly you don't have energy or motivation to go to the gym or to prepare those healthy meals that were working so well for you. You start to feel guilty becuase you aren't doing what you know you should be doing for yourself. So what do you do? You try harder. You try to be everything for everyone while you still try to do what you need to for yourself. But it doesn't work. You are stressed and overwhelmed. You don't know when you are coming or going. You don't know your right from your left. Suddenly you feel like you are about to explode. You have no one and no one understands you or what you are really going through. How could they you don't even know how to explain it to them. The harder you try to be successful with your goals the less successful you actually are as you or just too overwhelmed to follow through on anything.
This is the circle of depressions vs. healthy lifestyle that many people go through. Although this is just one example of what it is like for many, other variations exist but in the end they are all a circle. This is a very hard circle to get out of as by the time you are often ready to admit that you need help you feel so hopeless that it takes longer to get back to feeling good. There are ways to beat he circle though.
1. Surround yourself with supportive friends, family,co-workers, doctors and therapists.
2. Find someone who will hold you accountable for your actions but understands the struggles that depression creates for you in reaching your goals.
3. Find your safety island. This is the place that has everything you need to recharge.
4. Educate your support group on what your needs are and how they can be the most helpfl and supportive wiht you are not at your best.
5. Remember you are not alone. There are lots of people out there going through the same thing. Reach out for help.
How then does this relate to someone who is trying to batle obesity or just simply live a healthier life? Imagine spending the day, everyday, for two weeks doing the most exhausting acitivity you can think of. Now imagine that while doing that acitivty you are still expected to complete all your other daily tasks and meet the expectations that have been put on you by yourself and others. You still are expected to go to work, clean the house, prepare healthy meals, workout, take care of the kids, help with homework, finish everything on time and get everyone to their extra activities. What in this list of things that you have to do are you going to drop first? The working out and/or healthy eating. Which ever goes first the next shortly follows. Slowly you don't have energy or motivation to go to the gym or to prepare those healthy meals that were working so well for you. You start to feel guilty becuase you aren't doing what you know you should be doing for yourself. So what do you do? You try harder. You try to be everything for everyone while you still try to do what you need to for yourself. But it doesn't work. You are stressed and overwhelmed. You don't know when you are coming or going. You don't know your right from your left. Suddenly you feel like you are about to explode. You have no one and no one understands you or what you are really going through. How could they you don't even know how to explain it to them. The harder you try to be successful with your goals the less successful you actually are as you or just too overwhelmed to follow through on anything.
This is the circle of depressions vs. healthy lifestyle that many people go through. Although this is just one example of what it is like for many, other variations exist but in the end they are all a circle. This is a very hard circle to get out of as by the time you are often ready to admit that you need help you feel so hopeless that it takes longer to get back to feeling good. There are ways to beat he circle though.
1. Surround yourself with supportive friends, family,co-workers, doctors and therapists.
2. Find someone who will hold you accountable for your actions but understands the struggles that depression creates for you in reaching your goals.
3. Find your safety island. This is the place that has everything you need to recharge.
4. Educate your support group on what your needs are and how they can be the most helpfl and supportive wiht you are not at your best.
5. Remember you are not alone. There are lots of people out there going through the same thing. Reach out for help.