7 June 2021|Health, Nutrition, Recipes, Sustainability
Naomi Osaka is ranked No1 by the Women’s Tennis Association and is the first Asian player to hold the top ranking in singles. She is a four-time Grand Slam singles champion and the reigning champion at the US Open and the Australian Open – and – Naomi suffers from depression. It is the latter has grabbed headlines worldwide.
Globally, more than 264 million people of all ages suffer from depression and it comes in all shapes and forms. The type of depression I am focusing on is environmental i.e., some aspect of your environment is leaving you feeling overwhelmed. It could be your workplace, your relationships, your negative self-talk (it is your internal dialogue that is self-harming), lack of physical energy… the list is endless.
How do we deal with environmental depression? First of all, the more you ‘fight’ those feelings, the harder it becomes. Once you accept how you feel, don’t judge it, try not to analyse it, just allow those feelings to wash over you so they can begin to dilute… which most of the time, they will.
We all have moments when our ‘tank’ runs dry. We have no energy, no motivation, our minds are full, our body feels physical discomfort. Being depressed and anxious does not define who we are as individuals – it’s just an emotion – and yes, it is a debilitating one.
You are not weird or mad and you don’t have a ‘part of you missing’. Anyone who believes you should just “pull yourself together” has no idea how depression and anxiety affects an individual.
In Osaka’s case she struggles with public speaking as well, for her, dealing with the media is made even more difficult. She’s a major talent who by her own admission is ‘introverted’ so why must she be under the added pressure of then explaining herself to a bunch of journalists after a match, if she is so uncomfortable? Why do we demand so much of others, of ourselves? Did you know Jonny Wilkinson, one of the most decorated and recognisable faces in rugby history and former England captain, used to be physically sick before every match, due to anxiety?
There are many self-help tools we can use:
1. Our future self has the answer. I know this sounds a little crazy but when we look back on our life, we have so many solutions to problems that we didn’t realise then. Did you know our brain doesn’t know the difference between past, present and future? Using visualisation – think of a day ahead, a week ahead and imagine how you would like to feel instead. Ask yourself what you need. Your subconscious has the answers, listen.
2. Sit in nature, walk in nature. I do this often. If I am feeling anxious or worried about something I go for a walk – I even chat out loud to myself! By the time I get back home or to my desk I am feeling more connected and energised.
3. Breathe. Slowing the breath down and allowing it to travel into your belly – not trapping it in short sharp breaths in the chest. Focusing on our breath slows our heart rate. This alerts the brain that we are not in danger, so we begin to relax and feel safe. Our brain’s primary function is to keep us alive and safe. When we get anxious our body reacts by increasing our heart rate, our breathing becomes rapid and shallow; the stress hormone cortisol is increased. All this then alerts our brain that we are in danger and triggers off the fight, flight or freeze response.
Irena-Marie Makowska is a contributor to our site: A mind coach specialising in mental fitness and agility, performance, emotional intelligence, resilience, self-awareness and neuroplasticity. Using a combination of BrainWorking Recursive Therapy (BWRT): Psychology of Identity and Behaviour; visual mental imagery; mindfulness and transformational coaching.
Currently reading this gem for the second time… The good news: Life expectancy has more than doubled over the past 150 years (we can now expect well over 80 years). The bad news: An equally staggering rise in chronic, degenerative diseases, which are strongly linked to lifestyle and diet.
Cancer – Heart disease – Stroke – Lung Disease – Dementia are responsible for 90% of deaths in western countries and 70% of all deaths globally. Daily – 25000 die of cancer (almost 40% of whom Cancer Research UK say could have prevented their disease with a healthier lifestyle). Hourly – 2000 die from a heart attack or stroke. Every second – 40 diagnosed with dementia.
The book’s a steal on Amazon Kindle right now: 99p/99cts/$1.16.
‘Brown Rice Sushi Bowl’. Delicious lunch, thank you Plant Proof (aka Simon Hill).
I was checking links on our site this week, realised their social links weren’t working, messaged them. The next day Simon messaged to say thank you. Struggling to find anything I don’t like about this guy: All profits from his book go to Half Cut – a charity working to protect the rainforest we have left and re-wild parts of the world once more.
1000’s more healthy recipes here
‘The Joker’ rescuing animals. What’s not to like here either? What I wanted to understand was why. Why did this Grammy Award winning actor make world headlines on Earth Day 2021? What does it mean for me? A lot it seems. Sustainability will make, or break us.
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