Depression
and Weight Loss
Edited Excerpts from
Moving Beyond Depression
Some of our members who have struggled with weight issues for a long time and/or have attempted several diets with no success may be experiencing depression. If you have negative attitudes and are depressed it is going to be hard to lose weight and to keep it off.
The excerpts from this book will define depression and speak on the whole-person approach to treating depression. If you are struggling with depression, we encourage you to read "Moving Beyond Depression". If you have serious depression we encourage you to see a counselor.
The Faces of Depression
Depression shows itself through a prolonged period of sadness or anxiety. It leaches interest or pleasure out of activities that would normally be enjoyable. Depression alters appetite (may lose appetite or eat all the time) and sleep patterns (may not be able to sleep or sleep all the time). It promotes feelings of guilt, shame, and hopelessness. Depression interferes with the ability to make decisions, to concentrate, to remember things, to focus. It steadily strangles the will to act, producing either a frantic, anxious state or an apathetic lethargy. Depression may lead to recurrent thoughts of suicide and death.
Individuals with depression may have concerns about anxiety, hopelessness, and feelings of being overwhelmed or increasingly isolated. Others may be having difficulty in relationships they have become moody, irritable, isolated from loved ones, sometimes even abusive. They may experience inability to concentrate at work or a lack of productivity that threatens their employment.
Many have tried several methods to get help for their depression and have only experienced failure in trying to the depression from their life. At The Center we have seen great success in treating clients when the whole-person approach is used for treatment.
Whole-Person Approach to Healing
Applying the whole-person approach to recovery can individualize treatment for depression. This approach is based upon recognition of the unique components of an individual's life and how they interweave to form the whole person.
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Emotional Influences
We are emotional beings, and we choose to acknowledge or express those emotions in outward forms. We never far from our feelings and emotions. They trip us up when they are distressed or tired. They sneak up on us at unexpected moments. They support our expectations, fuel or disappointments, and energize our victories. When depression settles into a person's life, emotions become confused.
One of the strongest emotional keys to recovery is the courage to identify and acknowledge the source of emotional pain in your life.
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Environmental Influences
We live in a world where complexity greets us every morning. What are we going to wear? What are we going to eat? How are we going to arrive at work? Which task are we going to complete? What call are we going to deal with first? Should we answer our cell phone, our home phone, respond to our e-mail, reply to our voice mail and in what order? From the moment we awake, the assault begins. We are overwhelmed. The assault demands a response, and retreating to depression can be that response.
Do not let the hurried, fast-paced life drain you and rob you of peace and joy. Unexpected dilemmas in our life can pull us down. Do not withdraw from others when you encounter various challenges, heartaches, or trials.
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Relational Influences
We constantly us our personal relationships to determine our position in life. We observe the world and people around us and make decisions about who we are based in how we believe others perceive us. We define our position by the people with whom we interact. Then we use this information to triangulate our state of well-being., factoring our present circumstances, and the potential outcome of our future. Depending upon our ability to reason truthfully, these relationships provide us with a sense of well-being or foreboding.
Individuals while growing up learn different methods for dealing with life. Some of these learned perceptions and patterns are negative or debilitating in nature and can undercut our commitment to think and act positively. Some of these learned behaviors are:
Learned Invisibility, Learned Helplessness, Learned Worthlessness, Learned Impatience, and Learned Responses.
We need to learn when and how to change relationships that may not be healthy for us.
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Physical Influences
In the past, the answer to a broken-down spirit was a pharmaceutical fix that relaxed the physical body. But as we learn more and more about the interworking of the mind, body, and spirit, we are discovering that the potential exists for our bodies to act as a partner in recovery instead of as an opponent.
Many times sickness and disease can cause depression-hypoglycemia, Heart Disease, Anemia, Apnea, Diabetes, Seasonal Affective Disorder, Heredity, Dehydration, Hormonal Influences, Allergies and Sensitivities, Yeasts, Chemical Sensitivities, Environmental Factors, Self-Induced Substances, and Medications.
By healthy eating, exercise, and using Nutritional Supplements many times the symptoms from sickness and disease will go away and depression can be alleviated. By following the 5 Essentials to Weight Loss and individual will have a greater chance of weight loss and recovery from depression.
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Spiritual Influences
Wrestling with questions of worth and purpose is a spiritual issue. Who am I? What is my purpose? Where I joy? When will this be over? Why is this happening? How did I get this way? The spiritual component of a person's life can provide direction toward both the right questions and the needed answers.
Unforgiveness at times is a strong factor in regards to depression. Whether it is unforgiveness towards God, others, or ourselves. Instead of walking in unforgiveness ask God to help you to learn from the experience that influenced you to walk in unforgiveness. Trust God in the midst of your circumstances. Be willing to obey God in regards to forgiving, learning, and trusting. Practice being hopeful as hard as it may be for you.
If you suffer from light to severe depression, "Moving Beyond Depression" can help you to articulate your feelings, define your questions, and uncover your unique answers that will lead you to recovery from its oppression. There is no one-size-fits-all answer for depression, but there is one that's just right for each person.
