Wellness
How to End Seasonal Affective Disorder and Start Loving Winter
Many people feel down as winter approaches. It’s dark. It’s cold. The holidays can be stressful.
But for some people every winter is unbearable. They’re tired and depressed. They don’t want to get out of bed. They snap at their families and binge on junk food.
These people have seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
Our moods and energy levels fluctuate with the seasons. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) understands these cycles but modern life does not. These days, you are expected to be active, productive and creative at all times of the year. There is no accommodation for a slow, quiet winter. According to TCM, this conflict causes stress, which can result in SAD.
The Pessimist’s Guide to Gratitude
Your mother was right–say Thank You.
Scientists have now proven what your mother always knew–it’s good to be grateful. Being grateful is more than just politeness; it’s actually good for your health and well-being.
In a study by Robert A. Emmons, of the University of California, and Davis and Michael E. McCullough, of the University of Miami, people who kept gratitude journals showed higher levels of health and well-being than people who journaled neutral events or counted hardships. After 2 months, the people who journaled their gratitude felt more optimistic and happier than their control counterparts. They reported fewer physical problems and spent more time working out. People with neuromuscular problems who did the same thing fell asleep more quickly, slept longer and woke up feeling more refreshed. Even their spouses noticed the difference!
How can you cultivate gratefulness even if you’re a glass-half-empty person?
The Key to Staying Healthy
If you live in a rainy area, the odds are pretty good that your automobile will develop some body damage over its lifetime. Does this mean that you never wash your car because it’s going to rust out anyway? Of course it doesn’t. If you care about your car, it means that you’ll fight extra hard to protect your investment.
The reality is that most of the top killers today are lifestyle related, regardless of your family history. Just because you inherit the genes doesn’t mean that you have to continue the lifestyle.
Cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, autoimmune disorders…all of these conditions are greatly impacted by diet, lifestyle habits, depressed nervous systems, our home environments, etc.
Until we change our focus from the curing of disease to the propagation of health, history is destined to repeat itself.
Remember that the body has the capacity to heal easily, as long as there is the proper balance and flow of energy. The key to staying healthy is not to inject “cures” from the outside, but rather to get the innermost layer (the meridian system) in order first, and then to insulate it with layer upon layer of healthy, productive lifestyle habits.
What is health?
What does it mean to be healthy? Health is a state of optimum physical functioning, spiritual enlightenment, social well-being, and mental aptitude. True health is so much more than settling for mediocrity. It’s not about living life just barely above the doldrums, or hoping against hope that you won’t get sick or that you’ll finally feel better.
Understand that your body was designed to be healthy and in balance. This is your natural state. If you are struggling with your health, you have most likely, throughout the course of living, allowed your body to get out of balance. Taking medicine to treat a symptom will never create balance within the body. Acupuncture works with the body to return it to its natural state of balance so that it can heal from the inside out. Don’t divert the smoke, put out the fire!
