Emotional Struggles?
Think about your emotional health as having a prescription that requires filling, every single day. Being alive in 2022 is full of pressure inducing challenges. Without a daily practice, it may feel crushing. Picture a can submerging in the ocean, the deeper it goes, the more concave that can becomes. Think of filling a daily prescription as a way to push back – and return to your original fully filled out and functioning form.
Rx 1
Some form of daily exercise.
Ideally :30 minutes cardio before the day starts. Dr. Laurie R. Santos during her wildly attended Yale lecture on happiness “Psychology & The Good Life” states “Studies show this is better than antidepressants.” Check out her podcast “The Happiness Lab” – https://www.happinesslab.fm/
Rather than seeing this as your doctor harping on you to do something you don’t want to do – remember it’s your natural Serotonin enhancement faciliator. When people tell me they don’t want to go the medication route, then I suggest getting your chemicals the natural way – through exercise. Exercise does not have to be a chore you add on to your already exhausting day. Try to add it in to your schedule – walk to work. Bike to work. San Diego now has bike lanes and more connective transportation, such as via the trolley, than ever. Walk while you listen to a podcast. Walk at lunch – if you walk with a friend, you’ll be addressing Rx #2
Rx 2
Connect with at least one other human.
I’ve had people ask me what “connection” means. It concerns me to think we may be so out of touch with one another, we don’t know or remember what this feels like. Think of connecting as being receptive, transparent, authentic, and vulnerable, mutually, with another. Tuning in to the other person and what they might need at the moment. It could be sitting side by side, with a friend who’s lost a loved one – quiet. It could be a real hug – not one of those back slaps that reverberate in your sternum. In Kelly MGonigal’s book “The Upside of Stress” she addresses “Tend and Befriend” as a way to change our “biochemsitry, activating systems of the brain that produce feelings of hope and courage.” We are built for connection, without it, we die earlier. Tests and studies going back to infancy, demonstrate human contact fires up our system in a way that fillers like social media and alcohol, can’t.
Rx 3
Mindfulness, meditation, spiritual practice.
You’ve heard this mentioned, on the cover of magazines, it is in the zeitgeist and there’s something to it. Brain plasticity research shows meditators pre frontal cortexes are thicker, than non meditators (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1361002/). In a climate where fear and anxiety tend to hijack much of our time and attention, having a robust prefrontal cortex (executive functioning center) is vital. Other terms for this: Achieving “the pause” before reacting; creating a cushion between stimulus and response or disrupting the action/reaction chain. Observing alarmist future predicting self talk, without leaping to believe and act on it can be a game changer! If the first 10 minutes of the day your brain is the most receptive – start then, by intentionally focusing in on specifics for which you are grateful. Research shows gratefulness exercises to boost serotonin and domamine levels. Even the Bible addresses the battle in the mind by telling readers to focus on what is “pure, honorable, and right. Let your mind think on these things.”
Bonus round: The other stuff you always hear your doctor say – drink plenty of water, sleep 8 hours a night, stop smoking, eat a balanced meal, get some vitamin D.
You already know these things. But today is the day to start prioritizing them and implementing, them, like you would food, air, sleep. *Consult with your doctor for safest practices.
Emotional struggles? Have you filled your prescription, today?Think about your emotional health as having a prescription that requires filling, every single day.