3 Favs
Favorite Pet Picture: On this day in 1965, Ed White exited the Gemini 4 and completed the first space walk by an American. In honor of that, meet Gemini. She is young (less than a year old) and sweet and seems to get along with everyone. She is currently being cared for by Silver Valley Cat Wranglers. After giving birth to her own babies, she adopted two others and cared for them when their mother couldn’t. Those kittens are all finding their fur-ever homes and now it’s Mama’s turn. If you know Gemini’s fur-ever family, pass this along and introduce them!
Favorite Book Quote: Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl
Human kindness can be found in all groups, even those which as a whole it would be easy to condemn.
Random Favorite: Trees
I’ve always liked trees. I enjoy the trees in the park by my home. But I recently went on a vacation to Oregon and Washington and got to experience trees on a whole different level. The air felt clearer. The energy felt calmer. It was amazing! While these things might result from the personality of the place, I have a feeling that the personality of the place actually results from the energetic influence of the trees.
What were some of your favorite things this week?
& a Q
Question: I have depression. I never liked taking pills so I don’t want to do that. And all the stuff I’m told to do (exercise, eat right, get enough sleep) just gives me anxiety. What can I do to feel better?
Disclaimer: This is not medical advice. Always work with the appropriate professional.
I’m so sorry you’re not feeling like yourself. It’s frustrating when you feel depressed and don’t want to do anything and then you’re told to do a bunch of really hard stuff (like change how you’re living).
The way I look at it, depression is not your body or brain failing you. It’s your body, mind, and soul telling you that something in your life needs to change. When that something doesn’t change, you begin to feel stuck. When you’re stuck for long enough, you begin to feel depressed. Anxiety comes from being afraid and overwhelmed. If you weren’t as stuck, it might feel more like excitement or nervousness (which is totally normal when faced with something new). But, when you’re stuck in stuckness, those normal feelings become big and scary and feel like anxiety.
So, the first thing you can to do (rather than try to change your whole life when you feel like you’re in quicksand) is start to breathe. Most people, when they are stressed, breath from the top of their chest. But, breathing way down deep into your belly will give your brain the oxygen it needs to actually change over time. People whose brains were looking totally depressed in brain scans were able to look totally healed within a few months of changing how they breathed.
You may say that deep breathing exercises stress you out - you just can’t get enough air in. I totally get it and I have a trick for that! Rather than taking a deep breath in, start by blowing out all your air. When you think you’re done and all your air is out, keep blowing. Squeeze it all out with your belly. Then, you’ll naturally take a nice deep breath in through your nose and let it out your mouth. Then another deep breath in, filling up your whole belly, and letting; it out. Then one more breath, for a total of three.
Start just by taking 3 deep breaths (blowing out first) as often as you can. Those brain scan people I mentioned did this every 15 minutes during waking hours. If you have one of those clocks that chimes every quarter hour, stop and do your breathing when you hear it. Or you can set a timer for every 15 minutes (or for whatever length cycle you think you can handle). Not up for that but want to start with every hour? Great, set a timer for every hour today and then every 45 minutes tomorrow and then every 30 minutes the next day. Based on how those brain scans looked, this alone can change the way your brain functions which can help you change your thoughts. Moving your air will move your energy and get you out of that stuckness. After that, you might want to ask yourself what your body, mind, and spirit are asking you to change. Are you unfulfilled in your job? Are you in a relationship that doesn’t allow you to be your best self? Do you need to take more time doing the things that bring you joy? Continue doing the breathing exercises until you’re able to make the changes required to address the cause of the depression.
Here are a few other easy things you might want to consider:
Stand or walk outside on the earth barefoot for at least 15 minutes every day.
Rather than change your whole diet, stop eating anything that contains sugar or corn syrup.
Stop looking at any screens that are not being used for work or school (and try to do those offline, if possible). When you do have to work on a screen, use the largest screen possible.
Think of one thing you loved doing as a kid. Did you love reading? Get yourself a good book and put it by your bed. Be ok with leaving it there until you feel like reading. Did you love playing basketball? Get a ball, let it sit by the door until you’re ready, and then go outside and just dribble on your front porch for a bit.
Drink more water. Blue solar water is supposed to be very healing.
Sit in the sun. Early morning sun and late afternoon sun are the best because you’re less likely to get burned. (Sunshine is how your body makes Vitamin D and lack of Vitamin D can cause you to feel down. Keep in mind that Magnesium, Vitamin K2, and Vitamin D3 are all related.)
So, now you have seven ideas for easy things you can do besides taking medication. Best wishes on your healing journey. Be sure to give us an update. So many people feel the way you’re feeling and your story could help them decide to begin healing as well.
A note for those of you who feel depressed because of EVERYTHING: inequality, climate change, the media, the government, the rainforests, and everything else: I believe we all came here to make a difference in the world. You are important and you can make a difference in EVERYTHING just by doing the work that you came to this earth to do. If you do your work with love, you encourage more love. That love spreads. When the larger population begins making decisions based on love, rather than scarcity or greed, EVERYTHING will change. So, focus on the few things you can change and watch as those things you have no control over begin to change as well. To help you with this, any time you begin to focus on a certain situation that breaks your heart, send it some healing light.
I’ve included just a few ways of feeling better when depressed? Have you overcome depression and anxiety without medication? What are your day-to-day tricks for feeling good?
Be a part of it all!
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Follow me on Twitter @KarenEstepa3 for tweets that keep you connected with the energy of the day. You can now also find me on Pinterest! Note: I’m taking a little break from posting on social media for a bit, but we’ll meet here in the meantime!
Month in Review
Just in case you missed them, here are the weekly emails from the last month:
Question: How do you use a pendulum?
Question: How do I get a good start to the day?
Question: How do I honor my difficult Mom for Mother's Day?
Question: I'm affected by my kid's "stuff"! What do I do?
Question: What are angels?
Week in Review
Here is the subscriber-only content you may have missed this last week. Remember, the daily energy updates are relevant for the day, but the meditations and exercises can be done at any time!
Friday: Partner Up
Saturday: Connect With Your People
Sunday: Structure Your Week
Monday: Enliven Your Wisdom
Tuesday: Balance the Energy
Wednesday: Swap Thoughts
Today: Live in Luxury
Share the Connection
Did you like what you read today or do you just want to make sure people get to see Gemini’s sweet face?
Do you know someone who would benefit from going with the flow rather than fighting the current?
Sharing, liking, and commenting help me a lot. If you really liked what you read, you thought of something to say, or you know someone who would really benefit from these words, please take a moment to act on what came to you. Thank you so much!