Depression: Finding {your} combination!

{David and I on our date to celebrate both of us hitting the 15 pounds weight loss goal!}

I have shared bits and pieces over the years of my struggle with depression. I have shared in my bad moments, I have shared things that have helped, books I've read. So many of you have prayed for me and encouraged me. Many of you have also written to tell me that you struggle too. For all of those words of encouragement, prayers and sharing your common stories, I thank you from the bottom of my heart!! You just don't know how you have ministered to me with your words!

So, today, I am in a really great place and I want to share a few things that I believe are helping. I think that when we struggle with depression there is not just one magic pill that will help us. Oh how I wish there was!! I think each of us needs to find our perfect combination of things that help us to live and enjoy our lives. {of course, I know I will still have bad days. don't we all from time to time? I am talking about living without the depth and darkness of true depression.}

I also fully believe it is going to look different for each person. I want to say that at the front of this post...this is not a formula. Unfortunately, our world {and God!} don't work that way!! These are some things that have helped me...your path to living a healthy & content life will be different than mine. And, God may still choose to allow me to struggle with depression in the future - if that is His perfect will. For now, I am trying to make some choices that will help my body to work better, that is not to say I won't ever struggle physically or emotionally again! 

For me, a really good combination seems to be:

meds + exercise + eliminating grains/wheat + healthy eating in general

For others, just meds alone might work. An anti-depressant alone helped me for awhile...but I was back to feeling like I needed to change my med or up the dosage right when we began these healthier changes in late June/early July. 

Others still don't want to try meds and have great luck with exercise and dietary changes. I have tried and tried to go without the meds, it wasn't happening for me. 

So, you see...each person is uniquely and wonderfully made in such a way that NO ONE THING is going to always work for everyone. I hope and pray that each of you  can find your perfect combination. 

Since the beginning of July my husband and I have been on a journey to get healthier. Let me tell you, it has helped SO MUCH to do this TOGETHER!!

{David and I on one of our evening walks. it has been so, so hot!!}

Here is a list of the main things we've been doing:

• regular exercise - he walks with me, we do jogging intervals too, short jogging intervals. :)  (and then he continues on to run a few miles)
• weight lifting - David has been doing this, but I just recently started
• little to no carbs, grains
• no sugar
• no soda
• no processed foods
• mostly eating: meats, veggies, fruits, proteins - cheese & eggs
• drinking lots and lots of water

Within a few weeks of this new lifestyle, I began to feel better than I have felt in YEARS. Seriously. I wish I was kidding. I have given up sugar before and not had this same effect, so I am fairly convinced that the wheat/grains were affecting me in a negative way. I can't tell you how TIRED I was. All.the.time. 

Now, I actually have energy. ha! I honestly had forgotten what it felt like. 

I want to also confess to you that we have not done this perfectly each and everyday. I have 2 separate days in particular that I wasn't eating very healthy and the next day I had NO energy and felt like I could fall asleep at any moment!! Crazy! 

Part of the hard part is eating when we are out and about...I just love food. Plain and simple. I love my carbs...and think I was probably addicted to them. I love how I am feeling...but I still really want a donut. So, I'm hoping and praying that eventually I will no longer want these yummy breads, cakes and donuts so desperately. :) 

{For healthy meal inspiration, check out my pinterest board for meal ideas!}

David is down about 17 pounds and And I just hit the 17 pound mark yesterday!! I did a lot of reading about women and weight training...and I am hoping that adding this in 3-4 times per week will help me overall. We still both have a ways to go to get to our goal weights.

Not only am I physically feeling better, I am feeling better emotionally. Because I have more energy, I have more motivation. I actually have the energy to get up and do things with my kids that before would never have gotten done. Even just cleaning around the house and simple things - that when I struggled at times in the past with being depressed - were just too much for me to bear. I know it sounds silly, but for those of you who have struggled with depression before, I think you know what I mean. Each little task became HUGE and often times I wouldn't even try because I didn't think I could manage to get up and get it done.

So...our fall schedule is starting. Running around like crazy for soccer, piano, ballet, church...and I need to REALLY focus on how to KEEP THIS UP. I need to be better about taking healthy snacks and water bottles in the van with us. I need to not give in to temptation and go through the drive-thru. I need to still try to find times to go walking.

If anyone has any suggestions for how to keep all this up with a busy schedule, please share your tips with me!! :) I would love your practical suggestions too...I think keeping a small cooler with water bottles in the van will be one thing I try. And a basket with some healthier snacks for myself and the kids. What else??

Thanks for reading, if you have made it this far. :) Below I have listed a few books that I have read along the way...feel free to share your suggestions for books or healthy ideas in general  in the comments section!! 

Books that have helped
**note: none of these books were the "cure-all" for me, but they each taught me more about depression, how food affects me and what better foods to be choosing
The Depression Cure: The 6-Step Program to Beat Depression without Drugs
Wheat Belly
Real Food: What to Eat and Why
Potatoes Not Prozac: Solutions for Sugar Sensitivity
A Place of Healing: Wrestling with the Mysteries of Suffering, Pain, and God's Sovereignty
 The Psalms - my "go-to" book every morning for comfort