In addition to community activism and lots of opinions about people and politics, I am a psychotherapist. I decided to share a checklist that I have used for many years that is designed to maximize mood and health. It is a combination of supplements, nutrition and behavioral techniques. I hope you find it useful.
I have listed some suggestions that, according to research, are helpful with mood and thinking. Please remember that these are suggestions and not prescriptions since I am not licensed to prescribe in California. Check these with your physician and/or pharmacist to make sure there are no interactions or contraindications. These suggestions are as up to date as I am aware.
_____ Eat every 2-4 hours – you don’t have to eat a lot and it’s important to eat regularly.
_____ Drink more water per day – up to 6-8 glasses
_____ Take a multi-vitamin/mineral daily
_____ Take 200-400mg of B6 and 200-400mcg of B12 daily – Get a B-100 Complex. (check if taking statin meds and if blood pressure is affected.)
_____ Take a minimum of 1000mg of Flaxseed oil(or Flaxseed granules) and 1000mg of Omega3(fish) oil. After a couple of days and you are digesting the 1000mg of fish oil OK, you can increase the fish oil to around 2000mg twice a day. Make sure that you get at least 1000mg of EPA per day (look on the back of the bottle for the amount of EPA per dose) If you decide to take the capsule forms, they usually come in 1000mg and that’s OK. If you have difficulty with gelcaps, get the oil and take that. There are flavored forms of the oil that are easier to digest if that is an issue.
_____ Sing, whistle and hum – it soothes your cingulate gyrus – this brain structure along with others is what leads to crowded/racing/obsessive thinking when it gets stuck. The rhythmic noise calms the brain and gets it unstuck.
_____ Regular physical activity commensurate with your physical state
_____ Relaxation training (see additional info below)
_____ Abdominal breathing exercise Inhale for a count of….4 inhale 5
Hold for a count of…...4 repeat 10 times. -- After 2 weeks go to hold 5 repeat 10 times
Exhale for a count of …8 exhale 10
Do 10 repetitions. If you feel dizzy or light-headed, make sure you are exhaling completely. If the dizziness continues, consult your doctor. Make sure you are seated or lying down the first few time times you do this exercise. Do it as your only activity.If you smoke, do 3, 3, and 6. Make sure that your abdomen moves out as you inhale and in as you exhale. This should give you a good exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen for better functioning.
_____ Get the South Beach Diet(or something similar such as Nicolas Perricone MD). You do not necessarily have to follow the diet. The books are good references for the types of foods and frequency of eating with emphasis on low glycemic index foods.
If you wish to Supplement your protein intake: get soy protein powder in bulk food section of your store. Mix 2-4 tablespoons of the powder with your favorite liquid, banana, and a small portion of frozen fruit(strawberry or blueberry) or ice.; or try out a mix of your own.
RELAXATION TRAINING
Relaxation training is a method used to teach deep muscle relaxation in order to:
1. help you recognize the difference between tension and relaxation,
2. make your level of relaxation deeper.
3. teach you a method that is refreshing to increase your energy level.
Many people are tenser than is necessary. When you learn to relax, you save energy and enhance your quality of life. You will also find anxieties less troublesome when you are relaxed. Relaxation training readjusts your tension level and enhances your comfort more readily whenever you wish.
THE GOAL IS FOR YOU TO BE ABLE TO RELAX COMPLETELY WITHIN A VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME -- from a few seconds to several minutes. Eventually, you will be able to simply use a word or an image to trigger your desired level of relaxation. It may take a few sessions or several weeks for you to achieve your ideal relaxed state. It will depend on how often you use the method, your tension level, and experience with meditation or imagery.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR TENSING AND BREATHING
When you begin the exercises, you will be following the procedure outlined below:
TENSION-BREATHING SEQUENCE
1. I usually suggest that people do this training at night just before sleep. Tense your muscle system(see below) without straining or cramping.
2. Take a full breath and hold it for a count of five while tensing the muscle system,
3. Notice the easy tension in those muscles as you hold your breath for a five count,
4. Exhale slowly and release tension allowing the muscles to return to a relaxed position (You may wish to use your trigger word or image here -- see below),
5. Notice the difference between muscles relaxed and when they were tensed, and do that with each muscle system
6. Repeat each muscle system as needed depending on your level of relaxation. If you have a particular part of your body that you cannot tense comfortably, skip that system.
TRIGGERING RELAXED STATE After you are relaxed(it's usually best to do this after 3 or 4 nights of relaxation training. You should be getting good at relaxing.), decide what word and image you will use to signal your state of relaxed awareness. It can be a word like 'relax', 'calm', 'easy'. The image can be of lying on the beach or sitting in a meadow in the mountains with the feel of the sun on your skin and the sound of the wind or the smells around you or any comfortable, safe place you prefer. In addition to your image and word, as you are fully relaxed, squeeze your first 2 fingers and thumb together for about 3 seconds.
Use your finger pressure, word, and image while you are fully relaxed. Then use them during the day as triggers for relaxation in other settings – home, work, school, different times of the day, different rooms of the house, etc.
To begin the relaxation, sit or lie comfortably, close your eyes, take a full deep breath, and exhale slowly. Notice your muscles as you inhale and exhale.
HANDS & FOREARMS. Make fists and tighten them without excessive strain. Notice feelings as you tighten and hold. Take a deep breath and hold it for a count of five as you notice the tension in your hands and forearms. At the five-count, exhale slowly as you release the tension, remembering the feeling as your muscles relax. Learn that difference between tension and relaxation with each muscle group.
UPPER ARMS(BICEPS). Tighten your biceps as you follow the Sequence.
NECK. Tense your neck muscles by pressing the back of your head against the surface you're on just enough to create an easy tension. Follow the Sequence.
SHOULDERS & UPPER BACK. Shrug your shoulders or press them backward against the surface.
ABDOMEN. Tense your abdominals and follow the sequence.
THIGHS. Press your legs downward without locking your knees and follow the sequence.
LOWER LEGS. Point your toes away from you or rotate your feet with toes toward your head. Repeat the sequence to achieve relaxation.
Now, review your body, see if there is any tension. If you notice some, focus on it and take a full breath, hold it for a five-count, then exhale slowly.
When you are at a maximum feeling of relaxation and comfort, use your word or image. The other thing to do is to squeeze your left thumb and first two fingers together for a count of 3. This finger pressure, the image, the word and the breathing can serve as triggers for relaxation during the day in various settings. During the day, trigger relaxation in various places at various times about 5-6 times. That way, you can relax wherever you are whenever you wish. When people practice at least once a day, they notice an overall improvement in well-being, energy, tension and, if applied to specific fears, a reduction in anxiety.