Overcoming Depression 101
Affecting Your Mood Through Your Body
by David Schupbach
David Schupbach 
After I had struggled with my depression for a while, I began to understand that there are two parts to consider.
What you do with your mind.
What you do with your body.
I call them Cognition, and Physiology.
In our western culture we tend to think of them as seperate, but eastern philosophy and medicine has long held that they are two parts of an inseperable whole.
This is where the concept of yin/yang is relevant. Neither your mind or your body could exist one without the other. Because of this, there exist two different means of affecting your depression.
I remember when people would tell you: "Oh just think positive!" But I always wondered: "How can I think positive when I am having depression?"
Well, I discovered the answer. The answer is; you CAN'T think positive when you are depressed! In fact, one definition of a depressed person might be: Someone who lacks the ability to think in a positive manner! That is a very limited description to be sure, but relevant nonetheless.
So if you can't think different thoughts and change your mood, how are you supposed to escape your depression? Simple; change what you do with your body, and what you do with your body will change what you are doing with your mood!
Have you ever noticed how your body mirrors your mood?Depressed:
shoulders slumped
head down
breathing shallow
1000 yard stare
uncommunicative Happy:
head back
shoulders back
breathing normal
alert, interested in your surroundings
laughing, joking, talking For further proof, the next time you are depressed, try this little excersise:
First, sit upright in a chair with your shoulders back.
Next breathe deeply 10 times.
Then tip your head straight back until your face is pointed directly at the ceiling.
Finally, completely relax your shoulders as much as you can without letting them slump, and put the biggest, silliest, goofiest grin on your face you can possibly imagine, and hold it that way for a full 10 seconds.
Now, go ahead and be depressed. Go ahead...
What? You were SO depressed about 10 seconds ago!
How else can your body affect your mood?
There are many things we do that can negatively influence our mood.
smoking
drinking
drug usage
lack of sleep
lack of exercise
certain foods (excess carbs and sugars affect some people)
unhealthy dieting and/or eating habits
not drinking enough water
lack of certain trace minerals and/or vitamins
There are more, but these are some of the basics. Take a long hard look at all the things you do physically, and analyze each one for it's effect on your mind and body.
These are some basic things you can do to effect your depression through your physiology.
In the next post I will address things you can do to affect you cognition.
Dec 25th 2007 22:50
After I had struggled with my depression for a while, I began to understand that there are two parts to consider.
What you do with your mind.
What you do with your body.
I call them Cognition, and Physiology.
In our western culture we tend to think of them as seperate, but eastern philosophy and medicine has long held that they are two parts of an inseperable whole.
This is where the concept of yin/yang is relevant. Neither your mind or your body could exist one without the other. Because of this, there exist two different means of affecting your depression.
I remember when people would tell you: "Oh just think positive!" But I always wondered: "How can I think positive when I am having depression?"
Well, I discovered the answer. The answer is; you CAN'T think positive when you are depressed! In fact, one definition of a depressed person might be: Someone who lacks the ability to think in a positive manner! That is a very limited description to be sure, but relevant nonetheless.
So if you can't think different thoughts and change your mood, how are you supposed to escape your depression? Simple; change what you do with your body, and what you do with your body will change what you are doing with your mood!
Have you ever noticed how your body mirrors your mood?Depressed:
shoulders slumped
head down
breathing shallow
1000 yard stare
uncommunicative Happy:
head back
shoulders back
breathing normal
alert, interested in your surroundings
laughing, joking, talking For further proof, the next time you are depressed, try this little excersise:
First, sit upright in a chair with your shoulders back.
Next breathe deeply 10 times.
Then tip your head straight back until your face is pointed directly at the ceiling.
Finally, completely relax your shoulders as much as you can without letting them slump, and put the biggest, silliest, goofiest grin on your face you can possibly imagine, and hold it that way for a full 10 seconds.
Now, go ahead and be depressed. Go ahead...
What? You were SO depressed about 10 seconds ago!
How else can your body affect your mood?
There are many things we do that can negatively influence our mood.
smoking
drinking
drug usage
lack of sleep
lack of exercise
certain foods (excess carbs and sugars affect some people)
unhealthy dieting and/or eating habits
not drinking enough water
lack of certain trace minerals and/or vitamins
There are more, but these are some of the basics. Take a long hard look at all the things you do physically, and analyze each one for it's effect on your mind and body.
These are some basic things you can do to effect your depression through your physiology.
In the next post I will address things you can do to affect you cognition.
Dec 25th 2007 22:50
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Comments
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Cheryl Baumgartner
  Medical Billing/Coding/InsuranceDavid good insight, not only do many of those factor affect the mental aspect but also the physical part of us too. Lack of rest, proper nutrition and others can lead to physical illness which also can lead to or increase depression. Dec 26th 2007 07:31 |
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David Schupbach
Jennifer, you make me smile again... too often we use that 7% for the wrong things! One thing about it, when you make the decision to recover, you expand your mind because of all the analytical thinking you have to do..... Cheryl, that too is an aspect I didn't touch on.... if you are depressed to the point you are no longer taking care of yourself, the stress of the depression can lower your resistance to disease, leading to illness. That is the last thing a depressive needs! There are a million reasons why we should make the decision leading to recovery, but perhaps the best one is outside ourselves: namely those that care about us! Dec 26th 2007 10:48 |
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Tina Gsi
 aww wht u say might b true bout mood through body. BUT>>> what if somebody showing their mood through body just to attract ur attention.. they must b a good actor/actress if u blieve it. :) Dec 27th 2007 05:19 |
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jeszica
 This is absolutely true. I was suffering from depression when my family told me to work out every day. My disposition has since improved significantly. Dec 27th 2007 05:52 |
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David Schupbach
Hi there Tina, About someone showing their mood through their body just to attract your attention... Usually that's a form of communication. When I wrote the article above, I was referring to the way our body is when we are not aware anyone is watching. What you are talking about is 'body language' where we communicate with our expression, our posture, and other little signs. Quite often the message has nothing to do with what is coming out of our mouth. In that sense, you cannot place any more trust in what is being said by the body than you could if they were saying it by mouth. However, people will communicate their true intentions by way of their actions. If you watch long enough you will see if they are lying or not by what their actions tell you. You have raised a good point! Thank you for contributing to our discussion. David Dec 27th 2007 05:54 |
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David Schupbach
Jeszica, Thank you for your kind words! I see that you have made great progress in working through depression. You are absolutely right! Just do your BEST, don't worry about it, and move on! David Dec 27th 2007 05:58 |
I have learned....
lol...I know I am everywhere...but hey!
When I slump.....I am a bump 'on a log'
when I hold my head high....I 'reach for the sky'
Posture is the key!
IT takes many more muscles to 'frown' than it takes to smile!
The more I analyzed my 'depression'...the more I analyzed my brain...and when I found out that I owned a major muscle that I only use 7% or less of...but am meant to use it all....WELL HELLO!
Dec 25th 2007 22:58