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| "To
optimize the function of the healing system, you must
do everything in your power to improve physical health,
mental/emotional health, and spiritual health...One
of the disappointments of my professional life is meeting
so few teachers who see the whole picture of health,
who understand the importance of working on all fronts."
Andrew Weil, M.D., Eight Weeks to Optimal Health
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Surviving a depressive
episode does not mean that life is suddenly beautiful. For
the person who suffers from dysthymia (low-grade chronic depression),
recovery from major depression can simply mean a return to
the gray zone. Yet no matter the severity of your melancholy,
there is much you can do to increase the likelihood that you
will continue to stay and feel well. Since depression is a
complex disorder with multiple causes, it makes sense to treat
it on a variety of levels. A good analogy is the way we approach
heart disease. If you went to a cardiologist and wanted to
know how to prevent a heart attack (or to recover from one),
he or she might prescribe a cholesterol-lowering medication
and tell you to eat a low-fat diet, exercise three to four
times a week, and cut down on the stress in your life.
What follows is also a
holistic program for the prevention and treatment
of depression. I have developed it:
- from my own
experience (both during and after my depressive episode).
- from talking
with others who are successfully managing their depression
and anxiety.
- from researching
the medical and psychiatric literature.
This "brain maintenance" program is meant to serve:
- Those individuals
who have experienced one or more episodes of major depression
and wish to stay well. (Although there is no guarantee that
this program will keep depression at bay, it can strengthen
your "psychological immune system" and therefore enhance
your resistance to the illness. )
- Those individuals
who suffer from dysthymia (low-grade chronic depression)
and desire to elevate their mood, as well as prevent a major
depression.
- Those people
who are experiencing a major depressive episode and wish
to use these strategies as an adjunct to medication and/or
psychotherapy.
I have organized this
treatment plan into five areas-physical self-care, mental/emotional
self-care, spiritual self-care, people support, and lifestyle
habits. The accompanying diagram gives a visual overview of
the program. As you read through the material, think of my
recommendations as guidelines, not hard-and-fast prescriptions.
Each person's healing journey is unique. It is up to each
individual to sift through the available treatment options
and discover what works.
Please
click on the appropriate text link below
to locate the information you are seeking.
Brain Maintenance Program
As
you read through my program, you will see that there is nothing
new or radical in what I have suggested. The plan is a simple
common sense approach to living a healthy and balanced life.
But simple does not mean easy. Developing and sticking to
good habits requires persistence, discipline and diligence
(ask anyone who has quit smoking). But the dedication is worth
it. Having spent too many days in the dark house, I do not
wish to return; and I am confident that neither do you.
There is one final point
that I would like to emphasize. No matter how many episodes
of depression you have experienced, you
are not your illness. The label "depression" does
not define who you are but how you are suffering. If
you start to believe that having depression makes you inherently
defective, remind yourself that you are a normal person
responding to an abnormal condition. Your spiritual essence
transcends depression and cannot be touched by it or any illness.
As the great 20th century visionary Pierre Teilhard de Chardin
put it, "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience.
We are spiritual beings having a human experience."
Above all, try to be at
peace with your condition. Some people have diabetes, others
heart disease; you get to deal with depression. By applying
the strategies described in this section, and by drawing upon
other resources in this book, you can take small steps to
improve the quality of your life. Remember, life is not always
about fairness, but about how gracefully we learn the teachings
of our unique path. Best wishes on your transformational journey.
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