Next Phase!

Yes, I'm still alive and well! I have been intending to report how the next phase of recovery is going, but alas, I am only now actually doing it. Here is what's happening...
I have been beyond depression now for over a year and a half. Passionate to help other suffering people find the light out of the darkness of depression, I took the Nedley training course to become a director for the Nedley Depression Recovery Program. In October, we started our first 8-week program and we are now on week 7. We have a small group of people who are coming and who are giving wonderful success stories. Recovery is a process, but any little bit of success along the way is so exciting as it gives more and more hope.
If you have not yet checked into the Nedley Depression Recovery program, which you can take online or even at home by buying the DVD set and books, I encourage you to go to www.drnedley.com to check it out. In fact, right now might be a good time. It works!!

Last Piece to Peace

There has been one small piece of depression that has continued to stay with me, even after recovering. It is that sad feeling upon waking in the morning. Not NEARLY like it used to be! Very, very minor in comparison, but still there. I had accepted it as simply a remnant to keep me from ever completely forgetting what depression is like, and thus, being more compassionate to others.

However, recently, I had noticed that that remnant is gone! I've noticed that I'm waking without any of that feeling at all. Well, unless there is something genuinely saddening me. So, the question is.... what happened? What is different now than over the last months? Here it is! I'm teaching math every day. I am a substitute teacher and I am currently standing in for an 8th grade math teacher during her maternity leave. I am not a natural at math....by a long shot...so I have had to study a lot. In addition to studying math, I'm teaching it, grading it, and dreaming it! :-) This is, no doubt, strengthening my frontal lobe through exercise in focus and concentration! Pretty cool, huh? So... what do I do when this math gig is over? Well, I plan to get those puzzles out and do them regularly. Jigsaw puzzles, word puzzles, number puzzles and any other form of having to concentrate on solving something (other than emotional problems) is very helpful to the health and healing of the frontal lobe...the part of the brain that takes the hit in depression. Just wanted to report that.

Weight a Minute!

Hey, I'm still alive and thriving, even though I haven't posted for some time. I am happy to report that I am still free of depression (praise the Lord!) and since my last post, I have taken the training to become a director for the Nedley Depression Recovery Program. My first series will be starting here in my hometown in one week. I am very excited to get this going, and we've timed it to be finished just before the holidays and winter begin! I can't help but encourage you again to check out www.drnedley.com if you haven't already.

But onward to the meaning of the title of this blog entry. No, I didn't misspell it. The reason I'm talking about weight is because when I was suffering with depression, I went through several cycles of losing weight unintentionally, and even coming down to a weight that was concerning my doctor. I couldn't eat, and in fact, felt like gagging when I tried. So, now, when I find myself at a place where I actually have a few pounds that need to come off, I can't help rejoicing just a little that even though dieting is a pain, it is a joy to be losing weight on purpose and not because I'm sick. :-)

Passing It On

I'm finished! I've completed the course for becoming a director in the Nedley Depression Recovery program. Now I am planning to hold the first sessions here in my community. It will probably be some time in September as I want to wait until people are past the rush of summer events. Also, I'd like it to precede the holiday season since that can be a difficult time for many people.

Anyway, hurray! I want to report that I am still recovered and thriving. Life is not perfect, but functioning with a healthy brain certainly helps in handling it. I will try to be faithful in reporting whatever happens from here, including the experiences involved in the programs that I'll be holding later. In the meantime, I hope you are gaining some help from reading this blog. If you haven't started at the beginning, you might want to do that.

Happy healing!

Still Recovered!

Well, it's been two months since I've written here, but I'm busy with two jobs and I am now enrolled in the Nedley Depression Recovery training program. That's right! I'm going to become a director so that I can hold seminars and help other people recover as I have!

I'm so grateful to God for directing me to real and lasting recovery that I feel I would be a fraud of a human being if I didn't help others find the same healing. So, I have three more sessions and then I'll be certified.

If you haven't yet checked it out, don't delay in going to www.drnedley.com to order the DVD and workbook set for yourself. It's worth the cost! If you are not ready to take that route, at least read through my posts from the very beginning and you'll pick up some highlights from the course and from my own journey to recovery.

For now....breathe deeply, eat your omega-3 (see my earlier posts for sources), get in the sunshine (the earlier in the morning the better), and exercise! Did you say you didn't want to exercise? Umm...I think I heard you say you don't want to exercise. Hmmmm.... that's up to you. But do you want to keep feeling like you do now? :-) Exercise truly does lift your mood. Just one factor in recovery, but an important one.

Happy healing!

Happy Anniversary to Me!

Well, it has been a year since I began the depression recovery program and I am still doing great. As you have seen (if you have read my archives), I have had some setbacks here and there, but all in all, recovery has carried through! This is the longest I have ever gone without falling back into major depression, including unhealthy weight loss, anxiety, ocd, and the ever present darkness. In fact, I am far from it. And here is the very encouraging PROOF that I am recovered: I still have problems in my life. Some of them are the very ones I had during "The Great Depression." In fact, some may even be more serious now than they were then. HOWEVER, I am not falling into major depression. I am sad, yes, because I have reasons to be sad. I am concerned, yes, about some situations because I have reasons for concern. But I am dealing with these things with a mind that can focus better and approach problems with honesty and not constant fear, anxiety, and second-guessing. This is huge! So, I just wanted to report this as an encouragement, I guess. Because as I was pondering the things that are bothering me very much right now, I also had to notice that I wasn't bracing myself for the plummet! It is a reminder to me (and to you) that there is a difference in being depressed (normal) and having depression. Realizing this is a very welcome anniversary gift, which I'm warmly embracing. Bring in the cake and light the candle!

Validation!

I'm so charged! I just got off the phone with one of Dr. Nedley's associates. I was asking her a technical question about something I wanted to add to my blog, and while we were talking, she began to share with me the success of other people and I found myself realizing she was describing me! So long I found myself fitting into the description of the depressed person, nodding my head and saying to myself, "Yep, that's me." But now I am in the new group. Or RE-newed group, I should say! Just wanted to share that with you. Hang on! There's a place waiting in that group for you too!

Welcome Back!

As I have felt my "real" self returning, I have also felt regret for the time that is gone. Time that seems to have been wasted, and it gives me a feeling of lament, wishing I'd been more "present" for my family, etc. But, again, the Holy Spirit has kindly brought my attention to Scripture...I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten." What an appropriate description of depression: a swarming locust! But now the swarming, chewing, destructive locust is dead, and the plant is thriving! Depression recovery doesn't erase life's problems. But a recovered brain provides the ability to handle them more clearly and productively. And the joys of life are fuller! It would be enough for me to realize this progress just myself. But it is especially encouraging to realize that others are observing it in me too! I think the comment that has thrilled me the most, though, came from Mark, who has unfailingly seen me through this whole journey, as he was observing me with a smile and said, "Welcome back!"

Breathe!

Okay, just checking in to see if you are doing your deep breathing, everyone! It is especially important to breathe deeply, especially when you are feeling that rising anxiety or panic. Why breathe deeply? Basically, getting oxygen to your brain is an anti-stressor. For example, do you notice that when you are stressed you tend to sigh more? Do you notice other people sighing when they are under pressure or stress too? That's the body's natural way of getting you to breathe deeply. You might even notice that sometimes when you're nervous you yawn more. Again, your body wants you to breathe deeply. So, just do it. Try to take a few minutes every day when you breathe no more than six breaths per minute. You'll find that if you time that out, it's really just a matter of breathing slow, deep breaths. I'm still working on making this a daily habit. I find it hard to remember.....until I really NEED to do it! But it's better to make a habit of it as part of maintenance. :-)

I'm Still Standin'

Hey, everyone! It's been a while since I've posted. But I want to give the report that here in the deep of winter, I am still doing great and celebrating the return of my brain! I am proof that Dr. Nedley's depression recovery program works. I have had a couple of episodes of slipping, but each time that happens I take a look at my list of things I've been taught to do and, sure enough, I've gotten lazy!

Some people may wonder (as I have) if there is a difference in being cured and being recovered. Am I "cured"? I'm not sure, but I feel I am certainly headed in that direction. Am I recovered? Yes! Dr. Nedley believes that a cure truly can be attained...but must be maintained. I'm happy with that because, either way, I have found the "tools" to be depression-free. So whether recovered or cured, the key to success is continuing with what works.


While I can't begin to include all of what I learned from the Nedley Depression Recovery program, I will at least try to share some information and tips. I will start by sharing my joy of recovery! I am forever grateful to Dr. Nedley for his scientific research and endurance to prove that depression recovery (and cure)can be achieved through practical and natural methods. I am eternally grateful to God for being my Divine Counselor and for all of the personal lessons of how completely trustworthy and precious he is. By his companionship, I have truly discovered a lot of light in the darkness! I am dedicated to helping anyone who is suffering with depression/anxiety.

As I find my "real" self re-emerging, I feel regret for the time that is gone that was spent in depression, wishing I'd been a more effective person in this or that way. But as I was thinking about this, I discovered a promise from God's word that has given me renewed joy! It says, "I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten." Restore the years. That is a promise I'm so grateful for. That swarming, chewing, destructive locust is dead and the plant is thriving again! Depression recovery doesn't erase life's problems. Problems and sadness and challenges will always happen in this world. But a renewed brain gives the ability to handle them more clearly and productively. And the joys of life are fuller!

It would be enough for me to realize this progress just myself. But it is especially encouraging to realize that others are observing it in me too! For example, a friend told me my eyes "look brighter" these days! That was so satisfying, considering all the photos I've seen of myself with dead eyes. But I think the words that have thrilled me most are from Mark, who has unfailingly seen me through this whole journey, as he was observing me with a smile and said, "Welcome back!" :-)