FROZEN

When I first started seeing my acupuncturist he suggested I watch the Disney movie Frozen. I had heard of the movie, but originally just wrote it off as a silly children's movie. But my acupuncturist convinced me that the movie was a good portrayal of a young girl dealing with depression and how she overcame it, so I decided to give it a watch. 

Be strong and brave like Elsa. Be positive like Anna. And be happy and kind-hearted like Olaf. 

Here are a few tips that I took from the movie and my discussion with my acupuncturist.

// Being cold all the time can lead to depression. When your body is a regular temperature, you feel better and happier and you're more likely to do things and have an easier time doing them because your body is alert and energetic. However, when you're cold for long periods of time your body starts to shut down and and all your energy is focused on trying to keep you warm instead of helping you be productive. When we're cold, we tend to have worse posture as we shrug our shoulders and fold our bodies up to try and keep the heat in. The problem is that when we're bent over like that, we have bad circulation so our blood does not flow through our body properly, thus reinforcing the feeling of coldness. Staying warm and, as a result, having better posture will improve your circulation and help you maintain a normal body temperature. This will give you more energy and will also help you breathe better since your airways aren't constricted from being bent over which will help you feel more relaxed. 

>>> Side Note: For those of you who know me, you know that I am constantly freezing cold. It's been a problem for years. It can be the middle of the summer and you'll still see me wearing sweaters and wrapped in blankets. This could be a potential cause of my depression because my body has simply depleted all it's energy resources by trying to warm me up and the lack of energy may be a contributor to my feelings of pure exhaustion. 

// Isolating yourself is a recipe for depression. Human's are hardwired to crave companionship, friendship and love. We need these social bonds in our life to form deep connections, to give us a sense of purpose and to make us happy and experience positive emotions. People may prefer different levels of interactions with others, but we all need positive relationships in our lives to help us grow. I know for some people it's harder than for others, but letting people in and forming some strong bonds will really help to alleviate your depression by having people you can count on and who you can talk to and who will help you get off the couch or out of bed and go outside and start doing things again. 

// Opening up and being truthful both with yourself and with those around you is a big step to overcoming your depression. It's not easy by any means. But allowing yourself to accept the situation you're in and talking to others about what you're going through is really a huge weight off your chest. This was so hard for me to do, but once I started opening up to others I realized how much support I had and people understood me better so it strengthened my relationship with friends, family, employers and co-workers. The hardest thing to do is to ask for help, but I promise you it's also the best decision you can make for yourself. 

If you haven't seen this movie, I suggest you check it out. I was skeptical at first, but now I'm in love! It's an adorable story and as this post confirms, there's lost of lessons to be learned from it.