Relaxation Redefined: Stress Management and Depression

After my last post, I promised to delve deeper into the factors contributing to depression. As you might recall, it's not a simple issue. You can't judge someone with depression—it's a complex imbalance of body and mind. However, BodyTalk Life Healing offers effective tools for stress management and relaxation.

Let's start by revisiting the first factor we discussed: physical health. This encompasses many aspects, but let's focus on tiredness, stress, and overwhelm. Sometimes, depression creeps in simply because we're exhausted. Life's challenges can overwhelm us, and our bodies sometimes plead for a break.

What happens to our bodies when we push too hard, shoulder burdens alone, overwork, or fear those around us—bosses, family, or classmates? When we endure prolonged periods of fight-or-flight response, our kidneys, adrenals, and nervous system bear the brunt, leading to exhaustion and eventually a shutdown.

The kidney-adrenals: The kidney is an organ; we have a left and right one that look like

two little beans. The adrenal glands, are endocrines, and they produce hormones; they are

close to and just above the kidneys. They work closely together to give you strength,

energy, vitality, and let you know when you are in danger—yes, the famous fight or flight

response. 

The adrenals produce a hormone called cortisol, which is a stress hormone. It lets the

body know when you are stressed, so you can rest. We usually do not listen. Chronic

stress, from any source, leads to extremely high cortisol levels, eventually causing

exhaustion and disrupting other hormones and neurotransmitters.

Eventually the body will shut down and develop depressive symptoms.

As we say in BodyTalk, everything is connected. A sustained imbalance in one body part can eventually cause a systemic breakdown. Thus, how can we prevent this from

happening?

Get sufficient rest: There are times in our lives when we cannot, such as when working on

a deadline, having a newborn, and others. However, you can ask for help. You can

communicate if you are feeling overwhelmed.

Drink water: The kidneys and adrenals need to be well hydrated. Water is life and energy.

Acknowledge your stress, or sustained stress. Awareness is key, so you can take the

appropriate steps to communicate and make changes. If you have been working six months

non-stop, this might be the cause. Talk to your boss to see if you can take a break. 

Eat healthy meals: We need proper nourishment for our bodies to function. This means

bio-compatible food. What is a biocompatible food? Food that exists in nature. Yes, that

means cutting down on the junk food. If you can, eat organic.

Light exercise: This seems counterintuitive, but yes. People who are overstressed tend to

want to take a long run or do hard exercise. It is the opposite. To keep the cortisol in

balance, the best exercise is a long walk or light run, swimming peacefully, and soft yoga.

Regular meditation: You do have time. It does not have to be one hour. It can be 5 or 15

minutes. Soft breathing exercises calm the mind and get oxygen to the body. When we receive proper oxygen and the body is relaxed, the organs, endocrines, and nervous system have time to adjust and heal. 

You do not have to do all these things in one day. Alternate them. I do not want to add

more to your to-do list. The next blog will take a deeper dive into the other endocrines involved in depression and mental health. 

Thank you for reading. The more we know, the better we can provide you with mind-body healing to prevent mental and physical health issues. If you are suffering from depression from trauma or any other reason and have not been able to focus or get out of bed, please call a hotline or get help from a licensed practitioner.

Sandra Eugenia Borgonovo

MA, BA, Certified BodyTalk Practitioner

www.bodytalklifehealing.com