Healthy Habits: Natural Steps to Healing

Natural Steps to Healing

Finding freedom from anxiety, depression and other ills of modern life

By Vasavi Kumar

You've probably seen these headlines or ones like them: 1 in 10 Americans takes anti-depressant medications. And among these people, 14 percent have been on prescription drugs more than 10 years.

We live in a society that is so fast-paced, we think anxiety and stress are normal. We also think there is a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to anxiety, depression and other mental health diagnoses.

Starting from a young age if your kid is too quiet, he must have autism; if he is too hyper, he must have ADD. There is so much medicating going on, we don't allow people to become who they are supposed to become. My philosophy is we don't give ourselves permission to feel much of anything, so of course we get depressed, anxious.

These problems are so widespread. It seems everybody and their mom is either depressed or suffering from anxiety, and it's no wonder. As a society, if you look at the food we are eating, the media we are consuming, our lack of exercise and spiritual practice and connection to the people around us, who wouldn't feel depressed or anxious?

Compounding the problem is the fact that we are a society looking for a quick fix. Popping a pill can seem easier than doing the hard work of looking inward. This can be painful, but it is where true change originates.

For many people, lack of a spiritual practice is a big part of the problem. That's because it is through spiritual practice that we learn to distinguish our ego from our higher selves, our higher consciousness. Once you do that, you realize that depression, anxiety, or mania are not who you truly are. They are ways of coping and being that you have adopted.

We are so externally driven all the time that when we aren't plugged in to all those things outside ourselves, we think something is missing. We literally don't know what to do with ourselves. I know it happens to me. It is no surprise that I love to speak in front of people – part of being bipolar is getting charged up from being the center of attention. When I am not doing that, I may feel a little low, but I don't see it as being depressed. I think that the feelings we sometimes mistake for depression are just our body, mind and spirit needing quiet to renew ourselves.

There is a natural path to healing and freedom, but it takes commitment. Here are some steps that can make it possible:

1. Have a strategy: Don't stop taking your medication without consulting your doctor. You also have to make sure you have a support team in place. In my case it was my parents, my sister, my best friend, my therapist, my psychiatrist and my husband.
2. Have a spiritual practice: Whether it is meditation, yoga, prayer, or going for walks (I walk my dog five to six miles every other day), you have got to have something that is going to anchor you. That's because the medication you have been taking really has not anchored you at all; it has just numbed you.
3. Have an intimate relationship with yourself: When you allow someone to tell you, 'you have depression, you need to be on medication,' you have stopped learning and stopped growing, because you have allowed someone to define who you are. Know yourself instead of having someone else define who you are. You have to be willing to go to places in your soul you have been in denial about.
4. Find a purpose bigger than yourself: That is what 'saved' me. I found a way to be of service, the attention was taken off me, and it let me turn my wound into wisdom, like Oprah says.

It has been more than 10 years since I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and going on a year now that I have lived free of medication. Do I ever feel down, like I'm in a funk? Absolutely. But I also know that doesn't have to mean that I am depressed, just that I am feeling down.

It takes time, planning and effort to find freedom from mental anguish and medication. It takes practice every day, but it is possible if you believe you can change and are willing to do the work.

About the Author: Vasavi Kumar describes herself as "your kick-in-the-pants guide en route to your desired destination." With an out-of-the-box, rebellious approach, she inspires people to find freedom from their past to take charge of their future. A certified life coach, Vasavi (SAY VAH-sahvee) holds dual master's degrees in social work and special education. She's co-author of the bestselling book Succeeding in Spite of Everything, and appears on TV as the "Keepin' It Real Guru" on Kansas City Live. Learn more at http://VasaviKumar.com.