24!
No, it’s not a reference to the TV show about Jack
Bauer. I’m talking about the snowstorm
of Dec. 27, 2012 where, at our home anyway, we received about 24 inches of
mostly powdery snow.
It’s that time of year where the sun is at the lowest angle
to the horizon, and the days are still short (but getting longer!). With the diminished sunlight, many folks
experience Seasonal Affective Disorder. We’ve all heard about it—when you become
depressed because there is less sunlight during the winter months.
Natural Cures for Depression
There are some very effective remedies
for seasonal depression. Here are a few
of our favorites:
- The Mayo Clinic suggests these easy and natural remedies for S.A.D.:
·
Make your
environment sunnier and brighter. Open
blinds, trim tree branches that block sunlight or add skylights to your home.
Sit closer to bright windows while at home or in the office.
·
Get outside. Take a long walk, eat lunch at a nearby park, or simply sit on a
bench and soak up the sun. Even on cold or cloudy days, outdoor light can help
— especially if you spend some time outside within two hours of getting up in
the morning.
·
Exercise
regularly. Physical exercise helps relieve stress and
anxiety, both of which can increase seasonal affective disorder symptoms. Being
more fit can make you feel better about yourself, too, which can lift your
mood.
·
Vitamin D3 can also help with S.A.D.
symptoms. Up here in the northern
latitudes, short days, and cold weather make it nearly impossible to get
adequate levels of Vitamin D from sunshine alone. What many reports don’t mention is that
adding Vitamin D3 to your daily regimen should really start in September,
before your levels (and the sunshine) really start to decline.
- Bodywork
for Depression?
“It
is well known that chronic pain induces depression, anxiety, and a reduced
quality of life.”* In addition to our
common sense notion that pain and emotion are related, there have also been
quite a few studies showing specific brain chemistry and nervous system changes
as a result of chronic pain.
Depression
and anxiety are frequently more amenable to physical touch than verbal
therapies. It has been shown that a
multitude of hands-on techniques can help release deeply held or repressed
emotions.
Bodywork can also help release some of
the toxins that have built up during the short winter days. (Watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FtSP-tkSug
for one possible explanation how toxins make our fascia sticky/fuzzy and how
movement helps to lubricate the fascia and purge those toxins.)
One of the basic tenets of Rolfing®
Structural Integration is working with the fascia (connective tissue) of your
body. Rolfers encourage you to meet your Rolfer’s contact from your inside
(core, emotions, movement patterns) to your outside (skin). This allows you to become more aware of your
body, while less focussed on your mind, anxieties, and emotional upsets. Rolfing Structural Integration is a specific
kind of contact (with varying degrees of pressure) that enlivens your tissue,
and results in freedom from chronic or acute pain, standing taller, moving with
more ease.
Physiologically,
there are other explanations for bodywork’s positive impact on depression. A good discussion of these effects can be
found at http://www.integrative-healthcare.org/mt/archives/2007/09/bodyworks_thera.html.)
So if the short days, lack of physical exercise, or the 24
inches of snow have got you feeling a little blue, give Rolfing a try. (And if the 24 inches of snow has got you
excited about hitting the slopes, check out our recent article: Ski Better, SkiStronger.)
Join Robert January 9th, 2013 at 5:30pm at Healthy
Living Market Learning Center for a class designed to help you re-connect with
your body, while allowing your mind to catch up to the vitality in your body. In addition to exercises & explorations, you will also get
to experience how Rolfing® bodywork can improve your mood, energy,
and sense of well-being.
*Reference: Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology re: study
at University of Toyama , Japan
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