I have to say that I am dealing with some melancholy right now and it is not due to Covid. I just got back from the Okanagan and spending time with my siblings. My parents have gone into assisted living in the last month, after being in good health last summer. All of my siblings are in a state of shock right now. This was completely unexpected. My Mom was particularly vital and strong but she has had a number of surgeries and has broken her hip. We are all praying that she can regain her strength. My Dad is adjusting and is walking everyday (outside) in the care home that he is at which is good but they are separated (as my Mom is in a different care home) and it is wearing on him. These are all the things I do when I am gripped with melancholy. Hopefully if you are feeling this state too, my tips will help you.

First things first, I love music so no matter what I am feeling, music brings me up. I stream artists on YouTube for free that I like. Today I am listening to Jeremy Dutcher, a former Polaris winner (2018), and an aboriginal artist. His music inspires me; people living up to their true potential I find inspiring. My adopted brother is Metis so there is my connection albeit a distant one. Ralph was the only sibling that was not able to travel to see my parents and I am close to him so a shout out to him at this time. He is an artist too!

The next thing I do when I am feeling melancholy  is get on my meditation mat and breathe. I am currently doing a meditation by Deepak Chopra. After getting into a rhythmic breathing routine, I ask myself questions like Who am I?What do I intend for my life?  What is my purpose? What am I grateful for? There are more components to this meditation but I will share that I meditate for twenty minutes twice daily to be consistent. I have a mantra that I repeat if my mind starts to wander or I get bored (“be still and know that I am God’ is my current one.)

Homeopathy can be helpful when you are feeling melancholy. I will dose Ignatia 200c five pellets if I am feeling grief due to loss. If you have lost people due to a death, Ignatia can be really helpful. It can even help you access tears; when your emotion is stuck, it is easy to feel heavy and fatigued. So expressing that emotion will help you begin to feel better.  I will dose Pulsatilla 200c- five pellets if I am feeling abandoned and needy for love or affection. It is a subtle difference but this is the space of needing Pulsatilla. Homeopathy can result in an energetic shift in the right direction. Taking a homeopathic case, in office, can help me be sure of my patient’s remedy choice but these are a few remedies I turn to initially to treat melancholy.

I have some botanical medicines that are useful to shift mood. Neuropas is a natural alternative to antidepressants. It is a botanical blend of St. John’s wort, Passionflower and Valerian made in Germany. This medicine can be useful for mild to moderate depression. I use Unda homeopathics to treat complex cases of depression along with gemmotherapies. Plants can be matched to the person and shift physiology for optimal balance.

Emotional Freedom Technique is my most useful technique to shift mood rapidly. I have blogged about it before but I will just say that it is a meridian tapping technique that works on Chinese meridians to target blocked energy channels in your body, mind, spirit. It is the most useful counseling tool that I use in my practice.  

Exercise is key to balancing out your mood and shifting your mental space. I exercise at least 30 minutes daily if not an hour. I will work up a sweat and get my heart rate up. Cardio is key but I also like to do yoga and I am dragging myself back to the gym to do some weight training. Strength training is key to help maintain your bones as you age. Exercise boosts mood lifting neurotransmitters like serotonin. 

Get out into the sunshine to get some Vitamin D. Making the time to get outside without sunscreen for at least 20 minutes 3 x weekly  with as much of your skin exposed as possible between 10 am and 2 pm is what I recommend. Optimal levels of Vitamin D can help lift your spirits and sitting in the warm sunshine helps release endorphins in your body. 

Open up your heart to generate a positive mood. Find something that you can love whether it be a pet, family members, or plants. Loving something other than yourself can help lift your mood as can giving back in the form of volunteering or random acts of kindness. How can you make other people feel better? That is the question to ask yourself… as your life is not about you, rather all the other people’s lives that you touch with your life.

Thinking of what you are grateful for can dramatically shift your mood. Keeping a gratitude list first thing in the morning in your head (for instance bullet gratitude 5 items) and the last thing that you do before bed (5 new items) can keep you feel happier. Focusing on the good keeps the positive thoughts flowing.

Lastly, in terms of diet to help you shift your mental/emotional space. Research suggests that 7 fruit servings and eight vegetable servings daily are optimal to balance mood. The Smiles Diet is sometimes used to treat mood disorders as is the Mediterranean diet. Avoid mood killers like sugar, alcohol, refined carbohydrates, hydrogenated fats and transfats. Make sure you hydrate optimally with filtered water.  If you do all these things daily, I can assure you your mood will shift. Be sure and book an appointment to get more pointed advice for your particular condition. Book in with me at Parallel Wellness. Until next time, stay well.

As our world seems to get more and more chaotic on some levels, I have to remind myself that the opposite side exists as well in the form of peaceful protests and marches promoting equality and all-encompassing inclusion. It is time to wake up as an empowered human being and realize that your thoughts, words, and actions have a ripple like effect in the world around you as well as on your mind/body/spirit and life experience. I experiment with myself in little ways. When I am walking to the store and back, I will note if I hit the green lights or red lights on my journey. More often that not, if I am in an elevated mood and thought pattern, I will not have to wait at a red light; the light will be green with a walk sign so I can be efficient. If I am feeling troubled about something or am distracted with lower thought forms, I will have a red light show up. I read this as ‘not as much flow’. This is just a small observation that I have noted. I could very well be wrong about this but regardless, it is a reminder to pay attention to my inner world.

This pandemic has been a good reset for me. I am getting back to regular meditation twice daily. I am more mindful of my thoughts and pray consistently every day. I am appreciative and am keeping a bullet gratitude list of good things that happen to me, am conscious of the beauty of spring and nature and how grateful I am to live in a peaceful part of the world. Exercise is a must for me and I love that I have more time for it. I am trying out new plant-based recipes so I know what is a good one to pass on to my patients and best support them. I am feeling good about what I can offer for my services and am even hosting a free meditation weekly for my patients if they need some extra support.  I feel the flow of well being which feels wonderful.

I think that the world that turns up for you in your every day experience can be reflective of your inner world. I have had plenty of trouble managing my moods and self-destructive behavior in my early years and I am not immune to the negativity that grips our collective consciousness on some level. I am an empath and I don’t doubt that I sponge these things up at times. Some moments I can feel almost drowned in negative thoughts as I struggle to appreciate good things around me when dark thoughts directed at my imperfection taunt me. You really have to ground and meditate right now at times to rise above these instances. When you tap into a good flow, the world that shows up is really magical. Therefore, it is important to set your intention of the day you wish to experience and do what you can to prepare in the way of positive thoughts, prayer, exercise, meditation for your day. That way you might experience a more magical environment turning up around you. Try it for yourself! To book an appointment with me, please call 4032321283    Dr. Robin Vinge, ND

We as a collective are still feeling the overwhelm from the pandemic. We might be sensitive to the current situation at hand and may have worries about our future situation as well, given it is an unknown. Do whatever makes you feel calm right now. I am going for walks, doing yoga, meditating and listening to music. Reach out to others via phone or social media. Connect with people that you love while being safe and following the government’s guidelines right now. Focus on what you love versus what you fear. 

Breathing exercises can help calm your nervous system. Breathing in for a count of four, holding for a count of four and breaking out for a count of six can be helpful. Then repeat. Focusing on breathing from your abdomen with one hand on your belly and one hand on your chest, brings you into your body more fully and connects you with your breath. Breathing in ‘soft’ on the inhale, breathing out ‘belly’ on the exhale are all strategies to prevent holding your breath when you are anxious.

Be mindful of your thoughts at this time. Try to remain neutral and not create a mental dialogue about what is happening right now and what it means. Focus on what you want (set strong intentions). Focus on happy memories that you have had in your life if you are feeling challenged to stay positive. Involve as many senses as you can (sight, smell, hearing, touch, taste) in the memory retrieval so that memory will bring you joy in this moment. 

To turn off your mind if it running with everything virus related, try taking 200 mg Magnesium glycinate before bed. Magnesium is very relaxing to the central nervous system. Another supplement to manage anxiety at this time is L-theanine. I typically recommend 100-200 mg, one to three times daily to boost serotonin and dopamine and calm the mind down.

Exercise is imperative at this time to help you sleep at night and strengthen the immune system. At least 30 minutes daily of what you enjoy is what I recommend. Movement helps the white blood cells circulate in the body so they can be in their most active state. 

Nutrition is important to keep immunity strong. Focus on foods rich in Vitamin C (oranges, broccoli, red pepper, kiwi, parsley), Zinc (pumpkin seeds, ginger root, wild seafood, free range poultry), Vitamin D (fatty wild fish). Eat five servings of vegetables daily and four servings of fruit daily. Vitamin A and carotene’s found in orange and yellow vegetables, Swiss chard, dark leafy greens, squash, pumpkin are especially recommended. Vitamins B2 and B6 are helpful to support immune function. These are found in chard, banana, avocado, spinach, fish and poultry. 

Include protein sources (free range eggs, free range poultry, grass fed beef, wild seafood, raw nuts, seeds, beans) if tolerated. Complex carbohydrates in the form of whole grains (quinoa, brown, wild or black rice, buckwheat, gluten free oats, millet) are supportive if tolerated. Healthy fats include extra virgin olive oil, raw nuts and seeds, avocado, olives, and virgin coconut oil. 

Lastly fermented foods will help keep your immune system strong. Yogurt (unsweetened) with live and active cultures, raw sauerkraut, kefir, kim chee, tempeh and miso are good choices to include in your diet. 

Avoid sugar which suppresses immune function along with processed food, fast food, trans fats and hydrogenated fats.

We will be back to work soon. To personalize your wellness plan, book a full visit with me, contact Parallel Wellness, 4032321283